Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe was a polari,zing prospect at the beginning of the season and has remained that way as he prepares to enter the 2025 NFL Draft.
Milroe had plenty of head-turning moments throughout the season, perhaps peaking most in his performance during the win over Georgia in which it looked like the Crimson Tide were going to boat-race the Bulldogs at one point. He finished out that game 27-for-33 passing with 374 yards and two touchdowns through the air, in addition to one interception.
He also tallied 117 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground on 16 carries. Some were calling him the best quarterback in the SEC with the potential to be the best in the nation at that point, though that sentiment did not exactly continue down the stretch when Milroe played inconsistently.
So, is Milroe underrated or overrated, and what could be next for him? Here's a look at how all of that could play out moving forward.
Jalen Milroe 2025 NFL Draft projection
There were some who believe that Milroe should play another year of college football to improve as a pure passer, which probably would have been in his best interest as an overall prospect. Milroe projects as a player who can become a true dual-threat, but he's not there yet and it is only going to get tougher as he transitions to the next level.
But, the same could be said about former Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers. There's a common thread there — this quarterback class is a weak one and there's a chance that both players may get more highly drafted in the 2025 NFL Draft than they would in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Milroe is sitting pretty in the majority of mock drafts, with many predicting he will be taken in the first round, possibly within the top-10 picks. But, he's also something of a wild card, with the other crowd predicting he could fall to the third round.
Jalen Milroe 2025 NFL Draft landing spots
The NFL is still a quarterback-hungry league in 2025 and there will be several teams in competition for Milroe in the first round. Here's a look at three teams Milroe could ultimately land with.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders hold the No. 6 overall pick in the first round of the draft and are expected to use this pick to find their replacement for Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell. It does not appear that either of these players has what it takes to elevate the team to where it needs to be from a passing game perspective and the Raiders are in a position to move forward with a new quarterback of the future.
It is easy to get the sense that as soon as history-making tight end Brock Bowers has the right signal-caller to catch passes from, this offense could bust wide-open in a big way. Could Milroe, with his running ability and improvement over time as a passer be the missing piece to this puzzle? We'll see.
Cleveland Browns
Do we like Jalen Milroe as a second-rounder? Technically, there's a chance the Browns could take him in the first round, and that's been the exact projection in some mock drafts. However, there is also the notion that Milroe could very well be available in the second round.
Depending upon how things play out, Cleveland could actually take the former Crimson Tide quarterback with the 33rd overall pick. Regardless, things look bleak at quarterback for the Browns after Deshaun Watson tore his Achilles tendon once more in 2024. He missed a large part of the 2024 season and could very well miss the entirety of the 2025 season.
Enter Milroe? Perhaps.
New York Giants
Few teams come across as having a dire quarterback issue quite the way that the New York Giants do as they prepare to move on from Daniel Jones in a move that feels like it has been a long time coming.
And, just like the Browns, there have been projections for the Giants using a first or second-round pick on Milroe. The chips will fall as they may in terms of any potential slide. Pro Football Network even has the Giants taking Milroe in the third round.
“After looking like a potential QB1 midway through the CFB season Milroe’s confidence, accuracy, and overall play drove off a cliff in the second half,” the network wrote. “However, few players in college football were more dangerous with the ball in their hands, and Milroe should at least see the field in set offensive packages in 2025 as he develops as a quarterback while fixing some mechanical tightness in his throwing motion.
If it doesn’t work out, he has the frame density, explosiveness, and vision to potentially be one of the most dangerous running backs in the league. But this is a talent that needs to fail into that role.”