Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald dismisses 'unfair' Jalen Milroe comparison

Jalen Milroe, the newest member of the Seattle Seahawks, is an absolutely freakish athlete at the quarterback position, boasting nearly-unrivaled speed and a rocket for an arm.

Like many freak athletes before him, though, Milroe has faced some doubts about his viability as an NFL quarterback.

Milroe showed some pretty concerning inconsistencies as a passer last season at Alabama, but was absolutely dominant as a rusher, scoring 20 touchdowns on the ground. As such, some seem to believe that he should play a hybrid role, similar to New Orleans Saints quarterback/tight end Taysom Hill.

New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill rushes against the Los Angeles Rams. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Seahawks clearly don't agree with that opinion, however. After Day 2 of the draft wrapped up on Friday night, head coach Mike Macdonald was quick to shut down any comparisons between Hill's role and Milroe's.

"I don't think it's fair to say Taysom," Macdonald said, per the team's website. "Taysom is such a great player. The way they used him was more in a tight end-fullback hybrid role, sometimes taking snaps. Jalen is a quarterback through and through. He's going to be trained to play quarterback for us. When he's in there, he's going to be playing quarterback. But the athleticism is going to come to life when he's on the field. That's how he's going to help us."

Milroe probably won't play too much as a rookie, as Macdonald stated that starter Sam Darnold is "going to take by far and away over 90 percent of our snaps this year." Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and co. may design some packages to take advantage of Milroe's athleticism, but that is not the same as him playing a hybrid role.

If Milroe can refine himself as a passer, then he could establish himself as Seattle's quarterback of the future, and a special one at that.

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