Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe was viewed as a developmental NFL prospect entering the draft. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Two quarterbacks heard their name called late in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Neither were Shedeur Sanders.
The first, Jalen Milroe, is an investment in the future. The Alabama quarterback has as much upside as any quarterback in the 2025 class, but he had to land with a team that could have some patience. He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round with the 92nd overall pick of the draft.
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The second was even more of a surprise, as the Cleveland Browns selected Oregon quarterback two picks later at No. 94 overall. Gabriel had a lengthy and successful college career at Oregon, Oklahoma and UCF, but wasn’t seen as a starter-grade NFL prospect.
Neither player was among the top five QBs on Yahoo Sports’ big board.
With Sanders still on the board when both picks were made, he will now be, at best, the sixth QB taken in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Jalen Milroe is a legitimately intriguing prospect, but not a surefire one
Milroe was an interesting prospect. He was arguably the best athlete among all the quarterbacks in the class. He has NFL arm strength. But development will be important.
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Milroe was up and down with Alabama in college. He needs refinement. That could take a year or two, and that’s why Milroe wasn’t a first-round pick. But in a league that is always looking for quality quarterbacks, it could be worth the wait.
“I know where I’m at today, I’m going to be even better at this time next year,” Milroe said at the NFL scouting combine. “Everything I try and do is for the betterment of the team and not be one-dimensional at all when it comes to physical attributes on the football field. There’s a lot of things I can improve on, but there’s a lot of things that I can say I can definitely do.”
Milroe should get a chance to improve without a lot of pressure to play soon. We won’t know if it was a good pick or not for a while, but the potential payoff is worth the gamble.
