Should the 49ers Draft Jalen Milroe in the 3rd Round?

Every year, the NFL Draft occurs. Pundits and analysts move frantically to get their rankings and mock drafts posted. But every season there's always a player or two that are difficult to rank.

Some will rank them as a 1st rounder, some put them down as 3rd or 4th rounders. Their talent is hard to decipher. This season that player is Jalen Milroe, and he might be the hardest to place than any college football player I've ever seen.

Milroe is put lower in mock drafts for a variety of different reasons. Some say his accuracy isn't good enough for the NFL. Some say his mechanics are heavily flawed. Some say his decision-making isn't quick enough to be a starter.

No one will question any of these issues because they're clearly present. Milroe was inaccurate with shorter and more intermediate pass attempts. His rate of uncatchable passes in the 5-20 yard range was 30.1%, 4th highest amongst draft-eligible quarterbacks. Then you can look at his mechanics and compare them to other QBs in the draft, take Shedeur Sanders. Sanders is a master in his footwork and throwing motion, while Milroe has some work to do.

Even with those massive holes in Milroe's game, I still like him as a sleeper 3rd round project pick. "You just gave me a bunch of reasons to not like him." I did. The thing is, everything I've stated as an issue in his game can be learned with time.

If he has a few seasons to ride the bench, he can improve his decision-making, his mechanics, and his accuracy. Plenty of QBs have done it before. Look at Peyton Manning, he had a Pro Day where he was insanely inaccurate and had the worst rookie season of all time. The big thing that you can't improve on is athleticism and deep ball accuracy. Milroe has both of them in spades.

Out of every eligible quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft, Milroe was the most efficient on passes 40 yards or deeper. In case that isn't enough, he did that while having his WR1 be second in the SEC in drops. In case that isn't enough, he ran a 4.37 at Alabama's Pro Day. Lamar Jackson ran a 4.34.

In case that isn't enough, Milroe's ability to get to the edge and guarantee easy rushing yards is elite. This all goes to show the insane upside of Milroe. If a team can improve his mechanics and his football IQ, this guy can be an MVP candidate immediately.

Some people will hear all of that and remain in the stance of, "We've already seen this in Anthony Richardson, why do it again?" My response is simple: he's better than Richardson. Even with Milore's inaccuracies in his passing game, his numbers are still better than Richardson's college numbers.

Milroe's deep ball is a work of art compared to Richardson's. He's a better ball carrier than Richardson. Milroe doesn't deserve comparisons to Anthony Richardson, he deserves comparisons to Lamar Jackson.

So should the Niners take a shot on Milroe and let him learn for a couple years? I don't see why not. I understand the Niners are in need of starting caliber talent to remain competitive, but if Milroe falls to the 3rd round, I don't see any prospect in the entire draft with a higher upside than him. If the Niners don't take him, give it 2-3 years and the Niners will be upset that they didn't.

Do you agree? Disagree? Whatever it is you feel let me know on the poll below, and follow me on X @conors_corner

who’s against drafting jalen milroe in the 3rd round?
— conor (@conors_corner) April 7, 2025

Read more