AFC, NFC Coaches and Scouts Break Down Milroe’s Game

The Crimson Tide struggled at times offensively over the past two seasons, partially due to the passing struggles Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe had in the latter half of the 2024 regular season.

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Despite Milroe only throwing six touchdowns after September (and only five in SEC play last season), Alabama was able to see success on the field with a 9-3 regular season, led by Milroe's 16 passing touchdowns and 20 rushing touchdowns in the 2024 season. Milroe declared for the 2025 NFL draft in January and has had an up-and-down draft process. Milroe participated in the Senior Bowl, where he struggled connecting with receivers. However, Milroe had a strong NFL combine and followed it up with an impressive Pro Day workout, which has vaulted the two-year Alabama signal caller back into the first-round conversation.

Milroe hopes one NFL team has seen enough to call his name on Thursday night in Green Bay, Wisconsin. For Alabama, the Tide will have a plethora of weapons to help usher in a new starting quarterback. Had Milroe returned to Alabama, though, the plethora of receiving options may not have been as plentiful.

In his annual column breaking down the quarterback prospects from the coaches and executives in the NFL, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network shared a shocking quote one AFC coordinator told him about Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe.

"We heard out of Alabama all the skill [players] would've transferred if [Milroe] came back," an AFC Coordinator told Pelissero.

One person with knowledge of the Alabama locker room called it false.

On a positive note, scouts and coaches raved about Milroe's athleticism, with another calling Milroe "the greatest runner of the football at the quarterback position I've ever seen."

"He is the greatest runner of the football at the quarterback position I've ever seen. And there's enough talent in the arm to make you want to play an offense that suits that," an AFC quarterbacks coach told Pelissero. "It's [Jalen] Hurts. It's Lamar [Jackson]. It's Colin Kaepernick. There are some guys that have successfully done it, and if you want to baby him into the league that way and then let him flourish, who knows?"

Said an AFC coordinator: "He has a lot of accuracy issues. But he's a freak. He's the best running quarterback I've ever evaluated. He's like Cam Newton's power with Lamar's speed. He can throw the ball down the field - his numbers over 20 yards are good. And he's a true developmental-type player. He's electric."

One NFC scout thinks Milroe can be the best quarterback in this draft class, assuming he's put in the right system.

"He can be as good, if not better than any of those guys (in this draft) in the right system. But it's a very specific system that I don't know if I believe in," an NFC scouting director said to Pelissero.

"If you can mold the correct system around him, then his ability as just an athlete and a ball-carrier - he's dangerous," another AFC quarterbacks coach said. "It requires the right coaching staff and the right philosophical outlook. But I think he's the wild card in all this. He'll probably end up being the third or fourth one taken. But if somebody loves him enough to feel like you've got to jump back up there into the middle of the first to make sure you get him, that wouldn't surprise me either."

"He can develop the throwing part. But for right now, get creative with him and have some packages. He's as dynamic as I've seen running the ball," An AFC scouting director said.

You can read Pelissero's full breakdown of Jalen Milroe and the rest of the quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL draft here.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.