Even in a best-case scenario, rookie third-round draft pick Jalen Milroe is probably at least a year away from legitimately competing with Sam Darnold for the Seattle Seahawks’ starting quarterback job. Milroe still needs some polishing as a passer, which makes him somewhat of a longer-term development project.
But that doesn’t mean Milroe won’t see the field this fall.
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With big-time speed packed into a linebacker’s body, the 6-foot-2, 217-pound Milroe has a tantalizing level of athleticism. He put that on full display at Alabama, where he rushed for 1,257 yards and 32 touchdowns over the past two seasons. And in the NFL, his rare skill set could be a perfect fit for specialty packages that utilize him as a change-of-pace weapon.
“He’s a unique, special athlete, special young man,” Seahawks general manager John Schneider said in a post-draft press conference. “We’re going to develop him as a quarterback. With that, he’s going to add something special as we go.”
What exactly could that look like?
On a recent edition of “The Herd,” FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd said he was told the Seahawks hope to sprinkle in Milroe for “six, seven, eight plays a game.” Cowherd then joined Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Wednesday and elaborated on that idea, focusing specifically on how Milroe could be used in the red zone.
“I think he’s too good of an athlete to keep off the field,” Cowherd said. “And I think in red-zone situations when you have a very cluttered field, you need precision and you need athletic ability. It’s like defending Lamar Jackson in the red zone. It’s hard. … I think it takes special players to score in that red zone. A George Kittle. A Mike Evans. Physically, there’s just so many bodies in there.
“And I mean, (Milroe) is maybe the best pound-for-pound athlete I’ve ever seen at quarterback, including Lamar Jackson. So I was told that they’re gonna use him. They didn’t draft him to just sit for two years.”
Listen to the full conversation with FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd at this link or in the audio player at the bottom of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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