Why Alabama QB Makes Sense for Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders have time.

They don't have to draft quarterback early, which saves them the risk of taking a shaky prospect in a poor class of signal-callers. The Raiders could still take a quarterback late, and Alabama's Jalen Milroe is a high-end talent, if raw, that could sit behind Geno Smith for several seasons and develop.

The Crimson Tide standout has plenty of arm, incredible athleticism and playmaking ability, and many think he has one of the highest ceilings in this draft if developed right.

Pro Football Focus' Nick Akridge believes the Raiders are the right fit for Milroe.

"Milroe seems to be a typical high-ceiling, low-floor quarterback prospect," Akridge wrote. "He’s extremely talented and the best athlete in this draft class. His arm strength and skills as a runner are his calling cards, leading to some incredible plays. His biggest concern right now is simply his accuracy.

"The Alabama alumnus struggles to hit the routine throws. His rate of uncatchable passes thrown 5-20 yards downfield in 2024 was 30.1%, fourth lowest among draft-eligible quarterbacks. He doesn’t need to become the most accurate quarterback in the NFL, but he needs to improve enough to become a middle-of-the-pack passer. His throwing motion seems robotic at times. He needs to be an athlete and not seem like he’s overthinking how to make the routine throws. If Milroe can clean that up, he has a shot to be a successful NFL quarterback."

Per a scouting report from NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, Milroe's comparison is Kordell Stewart:

"Milroe is an explosive athlete who is very capable outside the pocket, but he lacks accuracy, touch and decision-making when he’s inside the pocket. A lack of anticipation and timing leads to interceptions and contested throws to intermediate areas of the field. He has an NFL arm, but he might need to fine-tune his footwork and delivery to improve accuracy on all three levels. He can get through his reads when he’s confident and feels protected but becomes predictable and easier for defenses to manipulate when he’s rattled. He’s built like a Will linebacker, runs like a receiver and is a threat to hit the home run on called runs and scrambles. Milroe was a much better deep-ball passer in 2023, but his 2024 regression makes it harder to project success from the pocket at a high enough rate to become a capable NFL starter. A strong arm and elite speed will have teams intrigued, but if he doesn’t make it as a starter, it’s incumbent upon his team to find a way to get the ball in his hands with packaged plays."

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