Jalen Milroe 6’2” 217 Alabama *RS Junior

Trait Grades (Milroe) 

Arm Talent (B+) Toughness (B) Anticipation (B-) Arm Strength (A-) 

Pocket Presence (C-) Football IQ (C+) Ball Placement/Accuracy (C+) 

Intangibles/Off Field (A-) Touch (C+) Delivery/Mechanics (A-) 

Running/Athleticism (A) Throw on Run (B+) 

Full Games Studied (Milroe) (2024) Wisconsin, Georgia, Vanderbilt, South Carolina (2023) Tennessee, Michigan

Tape Analysis (Milroe)

An upper body thrower who has one of the quicker releases in this class.  Rather stiff & rigid from a throwing mechanics standpoint. Footwork from within the pocket is not as consistent as desired from NFL offensive coordinators. However, Milroe has demonstrated the ability at times to make NFL type throws & very difficult ones. A lack of consistency has plagued him. He shows the ability to look down the gun barrel & deliver strikes down the field but then a week later, his film shows a player who is struggling to navigate the pocket while maintaining his internal clock & one who succumbs to pocket chaos. At times while dealing with interior pressure, Milroe seems to lose his way and will become athletically rigid in terms of having the ability to feel the pressure properly & slide accordingly. 

Milroe flashes the ability to play on-time within the quick game & is adept at getting the ball out quickly if he can confidently diagnose things pre-snap. He is much more comfortable throwing against off-man coverage looks, of which he excelled against during his career in Tuscaloosa. Milroe has a rare ability to capitalize on shot plays deep down the field (of which he saw in heavy doses during SEC play) which is a testament to his deep arm talent. Against zone coverage his ability to play on time, manipulate defenders & throw to spots was put to test. Shows initial sense to hold defenders using eye deception but he is gun shy pulling the trigger with anticipation while throwing to spots on the field, often a half tick late with the football. 

Shows the ability to anticipate windows well at times (deep over & in-between linebackers (Vanderbilt 2024). Milroe will short arm throws at times. Slow internal clock issues within checkdown game vs underneath zone coverage. Struggles to intuitively modify release in order to adjust in the face of pressure. Tendency for throwing motion to always look the same, regardless of pace of play being called or in terms of needing to adjust to circumstances presented to him post snap. Struggles to identify hots. Has one of the quicker releases in this class of quarterbacks but release has a tendency to always look the same being overly robotic, often. 

Milroe does not always keep his targets safe by placing the ball on the correct shoulder of the receiver. There are instances of Milroe showing the ability to anticipate windows – is not a prevailing theme throughout his tape however. Will short arm throws. Slow internal clock when forced to speed up his process which can culminate in Milroe not gaining desired depth with his drops & lowering his eyes to the rush. Becomes flustered when defenses force him to play from the pocket while generating interior pressure. Rather than leading targets to spots between the numbers, he elects to take the extra beat to confirm if a window is indeed open which may speak to uncomfortability being a true anticipation passer. 

Projection (Milroe)

Milroe is most likely going to be overdrafted due to a variety of factors at play (surface level comparison to Jalen Hurts, Alabama QB’s of recent, his quick release & pure physical athleticism. Underneath all of this is a player who struggles with many of the important characteristics of the position. Could he develop in time? Yes, of course. Will that happen? No. Why? Because, the small yet critical details of seeing the game well, footwork from the pocket, internal clock, anticipation, touch, mechanical efficiency are not there. Milroe should be a Day 3 selection, but we could see a team reaching on him in Round 2. Hopefully, the Steelers don’t panic & select him at pick 21.