Jalen Milroe Willing to Be Patient for NFL Draft Selection, Starting Opportunity

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Jalen Milroe packed a calm, patient mindset with him for his trip to the 2025 NFL draft.

As he's drawn through questions from reporters about how he feels about his fluctuating draft stock, he's unworried about what's out of his control.

For the former Alabama quarterback, his draft position won't affect his confidence nor his goals.

"No matter if I'm the first-overall pick in the draft, or the last pick in the draft, I still gotta prove myself," Milroe said Wednesday to reporters in Green Bay. "I still gotta earn the trust, I still gotta learn the system."

Milroe was able to earn the trust and respect of his teammates at Alabama, a role he knows he'll need to create again in a NFL locker room.

"He's a very genuine guy," Alabama linebacker JIhaad Campbell said Wednesday. "He's a very good leader. For any type of organization that's looking toward picking him, he can bring a lot to the table."

Milroe has spent the past two months meeting with different NFL teams, looking to show his ability as a leader. And as a student of the game. He's willing to do the work to learn a new system, a process his time with the Crimson Tide prepared him for after playing under three different offensive coordinators throughout his collegiate career.

"I played in every system," Milroe said. "I understand every system as a whole. So it's just all about, that team pouring everything into me. It's gonna get the best out of me.

Mar 19, 2025; Tuscaloosa AL, USA; Quarterback Jalen Milroe throws for scouts at the University of Alabama Pro Day as several Crimson Tide players worked out for NFL teams in the Hank Crisp Indoor Practice Facility. | Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Milroe was able to develop a connection with some of the coaches he met with based off a shared connection to the Crimson Tide and Nick Saban. New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who was on the Alabama staff in 2017, bonded with Milroe over stories of Saban. So did Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll, who rose up the college coaching ranks around the same time as Saban.

Carroll also spent a decade coaching a quarterback with a similar playing style to Milroe with Russell Wilson in Seattle. This offseason, Wilson joined Daboll and the Giants to likely become the franchise's starting quarterback.

The opportunity to learn under Wilson is exactly what Milroe described as a "ideal" situation to start his career.

"Ideally, it'd be great to have a veteran in the room," Milroe said. "A guy with experience. You look at the success rate with rookie quarterbacks, they (successful) rookies) have a veteran in the room. And then also just being able to learn."

Milroe is willing to be patient for his moment. Not only is he not caught up in where in the draft he'll be selected, but neither is he concerned with being able to take field instantly. His process and goals will remain the same.

"No matter if I play early on or not," Milroe said. "I'm still the same person and I'm grounded in who I am and I believe in myself."

Milroe was able to remain contempt while sitting behind Bryce Young at quarterback for the first two years of his collegiate career, but staying put with Alabama, knowing his moment would eventually come.

That ability to stay patient and work for his opportunity is something Milroe hopes NFL teams notice about him.

"It's a social norm to not stay grounded and to where you're at," Milroe said. "There's a lot of guys that transfer other places, a lot of guys that get uncomfortable in adversity times. They go run away from it. ... I am just a rare person. I don't really run away from adversity."

Sep 18, 2021; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterbacks Bryce Young (9) and Jalen Milroe (2) embrace during warm ups before the game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby-Imagn Images | Gary Cosby-Imagn Images

While everyone around Milroe might be caught up in whether or not he has the tools to develop into a starter, or what round he'll be selected in, Milroe has tunnel vision on what he can to do better himself to prepare himself for whatever opportunity he earns.

"When your opportunity presents itself, its all about seizing it," Milroe said. "The best thing for any player is worry about them, and their situation and worried about where they can improve and not worry about other people's situation."

See Also: