Scouting Report: Is Alabama's Jalen Milroe Steelers Next QB?

The Pittsburgh Steelers have their eye on a rookie quarterback, and Alabama's Jalen Milroe may be their pick.

Dec 31, 2024; Tampa, FL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) drops back to pass against the Michigan Wolverines in the first quarter during the ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

After clocking a 4.37 at Alabama’s Pro Day, all eyes are on Jalen Milroe. He turned a lot of heads, including many in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ fan base, a group starving for answers at the quarterback position. 

The Crimson Tide dual-threat has become a more prominent prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft, like a high-octane running back built for a large workload at 6-foot-2, 217 pounds, but with a quality set of tools as a passer. 

Milroe isn’t as polished in throwing the football in comparison to Cam Ward or Jaxson Dart, but he has every bit of arm strength as the quarterbacks slotted above him, if not more arm strength than most of those passers. 

Beginning his career under the tail-end of Nick Saban’s tenure at Alabama, Milroe played in 12 games as an underclassman before taking over as the starting quarterback as an upperclassman throughout 2023 and 2024. 

Through those two seasons, Milroe carried a respectable 65-percent completion rate with 5,678 yards and 39 touchdowns to 17 interceptions. It’s worth noting that this wasn’t the Alabama of five years ago. The flashy quarterback wasn’t equipped with the embarrassment of riches around him that Crimson Tide passers had before his time. 

His Pro Day performance places Milroe in the same category of previous draft prospects like Lamar Jackson and Robert Griffin III. The former clocked a 4.34 coming out of Louisville while the latter turned heads with a 4.41 out of Baylor. 

Milroe has a lot more than straight-line speed, though. He’s a powerfully-built athlete with fast-twitch athleticism that allows for breakneck lateral quickness, showing dynamic jump cuts and other agility moves that keep him in weekly national highlight reels. 

With his fantastic arm strength, unlike many quarterback prospects in the dual-threat category, Milroe’s passing grade beyond 40 yards downfield ranks No. 1 in the 2025 draft class (95.8 per Pro Football Focus). 

Jalen Milroe runs a 4.37u at @AlabamaFTBL Pro Day 👀 pic.twitter.com/pPoaWGl9kN

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) March 19, 2025

When you couple Milroe’s range and power as a passer with his ability to extend plays, how he’ll develop as an NFL quarterback is an enticing question. Should Milroe continue to trend upward, he could become a force behind center, but he has work to do, no doubt. 

For the Steelers, should the organization pick Milroe with one of its first two draft selections or through an early-round trade, placing him behind a veteran quarterback for a year while he works as an understudy to a polished passer, he could arrive in 2026 as a winner. 

While his strength as a passer is obvious, his decision-making wanes at times. As is the case with many dual-threat quarterbacks with comparable physical tools, Milroe can freelance too often and rely on his elite-level ability to extend plays and rush the football.

Conversely, if he can learn to stay within the structure of the play more frequently and learn how to consistently deal with pressure with a pass-first attitude, there could be serious potential here. 

When you add up Milroe’s 4.3 speed, his ability to extend plays, and his big-time arm strength with his clear flaws, there’s a high risk versus high reward scenario in play. 

However, if Milroe proves to be a quick study who can shore up the backyard football element of his game to be a more polished passer who consistently makes smarter decisions and takes care of the football, again, that reward could be massive. 

In turn, if his development goes in the other direction, Milroe could prove to be a poor use of a high draft pick. 

Of course, the Steelers need to find an answer to its quarterback issue. Perhaps it’s time to take a hard look at potentially rolling the dice on a fantastic, yet flawed, quarterback prospect like Milroe.

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