You’d be hard-pressed to find many Seahawks fans who hate Seattle’s selection of Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe.
Why Milroe could be biggest draft pick for Seahawks’ future
Offensive guard Grey Zabel addresses their most important need, safety Nick Emmanwori gives a surging defense another weapon, tight end Elijah Arroyo can stretch the field.
Milroe? That’s just a lottery ticket. And who doesn’t love a gamble when you’ve got little at stake?
Best-case scenario is that they hit on a real deal quarterback. Worst case is… someone to use in a Taysom Hill package?
JALEN MILROE DOES IT HIMSELF FOR THE 36-YARD SCORE 😤
THE TIDE ARE ROLLING AGAINST GEORGIA 👀 pic.twitter.com/VQkdRSxeXt
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 29, 2024
But more than that, Seahawks fans have seen a version of this story before, and it worked out pretty well. Seattle selected Russell Wilson in the third round in 2012, and he took over as their starter for a decade of the winningest football the Seahawks have seen.
Wilson was polarizing for both his size and because Seattle had already addressed the quarterback question in free agency with Matt Flynn. But besides being a third-round pick and possessing a rare scramble ability, the comparisons don’t go too deep for Milroe and Wilson.
This feels less like a repeat of 2012 and more like… something else.
This is a not a test, for instance, of whether a team can win with a short quarterback, and that was a big part of Wilson’s story. After all, Wilson wasn’t knocked for his throwing mechanics or accuracy or arm strength or decision making. He was just 5-foot-10 (and 5/8ths!) and coming out in 2012 to an NFL that still had massive questions about what types of quarterbacks could succeed. Brandon Weeden and Brock Osweiller were both selected before him.
Remember when everyone talked about mobile quarterbacks as not being true passers with high football IQs? The concept of a mobile quarterback wasn’t a new one, but our collective understand of a perfect prototype was still evolving.
Twelve years later, athleticism and mobility is part of what kept Milroe from falling further (for that matter, freak athleticism is part of what helped Anthony Richardson go fourth overall to Indianapolis two years ago). And with that comes exciting potential.
Two sides of a coin
“Well, if you were going to play a game tomorrow for Alabama and Jalen Milroe was the quarterback, you’re not going to bet your house on him converting a third-and-10,” Rob Staton, BBC Sports contributor and author of Seahawks Draft Blog, told us Monday on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy. “His intermediate and short range passing, the accuracy can be quite poor. And that’s a problem for him. But the great thing about this pick is you can work on those things behind the scenes.
“Offsetting that, you’ve got the other side of the coin, which is the great arm. Go watch the Wisconsin game, the Georgia game last season. You can see him make big plays downfield. He’s got an accurate downfield throw, cannon of an arm, and then the running ability. He’s like a Formula One racing car; when he gets to the edge, the ability to turn upfield and dodge defenders is unbelievable.”
Did the Seahawks draft a star with Jalen Milroe?
Watch our full interview (and a breakdown of several Seahawks rookies) with @robstaton here: https://t.co/hzmUNg4Wb3 pic.twitter.com/iBPyYN54eP
— Stacy Jo Rost (@StacyRost) April 30, 2025
A blunt evaluation
Mike Rodak, who covers the Crimson Tide for 247 Sports, gave a blunt assessment of Milroe.
“He never really got to that point where he felt totally comfortable as a passer,” Rodak told us on Bump and Stacy. “Doing it at the NFL is going to be a whole new ballgame for him. There were signs that he was getting it… and then you saw just a little bit of regression at the end of last season. And then going into this season with the Tennessee game, for instance, just not seeing things, getting sped up, not being comfortable in the pocket, just not making the right reads.”
Rodak gave high praise to Milroe’s athletic abilities and noted there were moments in games that Seahawks fans should see for the upside: both LSU games, a game against Georgia, the SEC Championship two years ago and a 2023 game against Texas A&M.
But it’ll take work to evolve as a passer, and sometimes mobility isn’t enough to overcome poor decision making or mechanical issues. But at least Milroe has the want-to.
“He was always the first one in the building, watching film, working out, studying, whatever it was,” Rodak said. “He’s certainly going to put the effort into it. But you know with playing quarterback, there are some things that can be learned and taught. There are other things you just have naturally.”
Staton felt there was at least a world where Milroe works out.
“They’ll work on the floors,” Staton said. “He’s got a limitless ceiling.”
Seattle Seahawks news and analysis
• Report: Seahawks re-signing DT Johnathan Hankins
• Seahawks waive QB, 3 others ahead of expected UDFA signings
• How experts grade Seahawks’ 2025 draft class as a whole
• Second-rounder Nick Emmanwori already embracing 49ers rivalry
• Rapid Fire on Seattle Seahawks Draft: Best pick, highest upside, more
