🏈 Alabama and the 2025 NFL draft:

Here’s an opportunity to compare the “experts” view on which NFL teams need what and who gets selected. Here’s a beginner look from PFF:

2025 NFL Mock Draft: Titans take Cam Ward, Colorado's stars go in the top three

Spoiler alert: Milroe isn’t listed. In fact, no Alabama players are.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Milroe made the right decision. Could it backfire some? Sure. But odds are going to Mobile will only help him and it is an opportunity he didn't need to pass up if he wants to move up more team boards. First off, it's a chance to get a jump on the carwash style interviews with all the teams, which he will do well with. As for the on field stuff, there's only 3 days of practices, and if it sticks to last year's format, the 3rd day (Thurs) is worthless for the scouts (which was a complaint last year). Regardless, by lunchtime Thursday, the scouts and front office personnel will all be gone... the game itself on Saturday means nothing to them. Said this previously, but the bowl game 4 weeks about meant very little too.

 

[Justneedme81]

Milroe made the right decision. Could it backfire some? Sure. But odds are going to Mobile will only help him and it is an opportunity he didn't need to pass up if he wants to move up more team boards. First off, it's a chance to get a jump on the carwash style interviews with all the teams, which he will do well with. As for the on field stuff, there's only 3 days of practices, and if it sticks to last year's format, the 3rd day (Thurs) is worthless for the scouts (which was a complaint last year). Regardless, by lunchtime Thursday, the scouts and front office personnel will all be gone... the game itself on Saturday means nothing to them. Said this previously, but the bowl game 4 weeks about meant very little too.

Thank you!

 

[RTB X Bot]

 

[rick4bama]

Best of luck!

 

[BamaFan334]

Milroe made the right decision. Could it backfire some? Sure. But odds are going to Mobile will only help him and it is an opportunity he didn't need to pass up if he wants to move up more team boards. First off, it's a chance to get a jump on the carwash style interviews with all the teams, which he will do well with. As for the on field stuff, there's only 3 days of practices, and if it sticks to last year's format, the 3rd day (Thurs) is worthless for the scouts (which was a complaint last year). Regardless, by lunchtime Thursday, the scouts and front office personnel will all be gone... the game itself on Saturday means nothing to them. Said this previously, but the bowl game 4 weeks about meant very little too.

Hey, I wish the best to him and hope it 100% works out, but the framing going on here simply comes across as "hold your breath and hope you don't stumble in a two day window" instead of preparing for a career. I get the metrics they test for yadda yadda, but none of that is a struggle for him. It's the "in-game" aspect of it all. How can we say it doesn't matter how he performs when the lights come on? I guess I will never understand how his 40-inch vertical or 3-cone drill is going to make him a better passer.

 

[TerryP]

How can we say it doesn't matter how he performs when the lights come on?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but what has been said is how he will perform in the combine (as well as his interviews here) will determine his draft position which we have believe to be higher than most here have expressed.

From my perspective it's another case of fans having a myopic view. Here, looking at a few games while he was at Bama versus looking at him from the viewpoint of an NFL scout. That is a lot like those who look back at seasons under the guise of one game, or two.

 

[BamaFan334]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but what has been said is how he will perform in the combine (as well as his interviews here) will determine his draft position which we have believe to be higher than most here have expressed.

From my perspective it's another case of fans having a myopic view. Here, looking at a few games while he was at Bama versus looking at him from the viewpoint of an NFL scout. That is a lot like those who look back at seasons under the guise of one game, or two.

I'm admitting he will do well at both of those, but that's not where he struggles. He struggles on the field. Maybe some are taking the view from what they have seen GM's do in the past and solely based off those decisions, whereas I'm looking at it from "can this guy really go out there, earn a spot, make the team better, and worth the millions we have to pay him".

Just because they are billion dollar franchises does not mean every decision they make is gold. GM's turnover as much as coach's we have seen. We have also seen hundreds of players taken based off combine results and never heard from again. Xavier Worthy was a big time surprise, but then you have John Ross. I have learned that just because your company valuation is worth a lot, it does not mean it is being ran effectively or even by intelligent people. We have all been there where we question how a guy got to his role and to that position in life knowing he has never shown the intelligence to do the job. All that being said, I'm not even taking Milroe being selected at 3rd as an "I told you so" moment, because draft picks have never been a great barometer for showing true value. My test is if he ends up being worth $35.77M, not if he had the highest vertical of any quarterback the last ten years. I keep saying it, I hope he gets picked first, wins a starting position, wins ten Super Bowls, makes the Hall of Fame, and shows the world, I just have a differing opinion on what I think vs what I want.

 

[94 Grad]

That would be crazy.

One Jalen, said to never make it in the NFL, could win it all in two weeks.
Another Jalen, if he followed Stafford's career, makes more money in the league than any other Bama alum. Hell, in this day and age, he could beat Stafford and Rogers over time.

I think you just miss understand what I was trying to point out... even it it was a poor example. You can be a great QB and if you go to a shitty team just get left behind. Being a High overall pick, isn't always a good thing was my point. Sometimes it would be more favorable to go to a good system with good coaching that can bring you along and have the pieces in place for you when you come of age. Just saying, being the 3rd over all pick might not always be a good thing. Also, IMO, Jalen is no Stafford coming out of College but I think he has a high potential. He has a a lot to work on, but he may do very well depending on where he goes.

 

[TerryP]

I think you just miss understand what I was trying to point out... even it it was a poor example. You can be a great QB and if you go to a shitty team just get left behind. Being a High overall pick, isn't always a good thing was my point. Sometimes it would be more favorable to go to a good system with good coaching that can bring you along and have the pieces in place for you when you come of age. Just saying, being the 3rd over all pick might not always be a good thing. Also, IMO, Jalen is no Stafford coming out of College but I think he has a high potential. He has a a lot to work on, but he may do very well depending on where he goes.

No. Just thought about the cash Stafford has pulled over the years.

 

[94 Grad]

No. Just thought about the cash Stafford has pulled over the years.

agreed, was a poor example... Stafford could carry that team on his shoulders straight out of college. There are plenty of examples of potential high QBs going to shitty teams that don't last. Like I said, I don't think Jalen is a Stafford type QB coming out of college. He's going to need development. I think the "right fit" might be more important that the high draft pick IF he goes to the wrong team.

 

[TerryP]

He's going to need development.

Self development, as much as on the football end.

So many pieces to the puzzle that's his career (at Bama, and soon to be the league.) Just as one example when looking forward. Tell me a position coach with a bigger ego than an offensive coordinator/quarterback coach: in the NFL!

---

---

There could be a book written about Jalen and how he has responded to coaching...in the following chapters.

1. BOB
2. Rees
3. Pre-UGA
4. Post-UGA.

 

[Justneedme81]

Self development, as much as on the football end.

So many pieces to the puzzle that's his career (at Bama, and soon to be the league.) Just as one example when looking forward. Tell me a position coach with a bigger ego than an offensive coordinator/quarterback coach: in the NFL!

---

---

There could be a book written about Jalen and how he has responded to coaching...in the following chapters.

1. BOB
2. Rees
3. Pre-UGA
4. Post-UGA.

I think Bryce Young and Jalen Hurts went through this as well.

 

[TerryP]

I think Bryce Young and Jalen Hurts went through this as well.

Books written about their careers at Bama and the league? Books, divided in chapters? Yeah. No doubt. Bryce had four different OC's, didn't he?

The best coaching Hurts received was from Enos: a guy accurately criticized today.

Neither of those two lived inside the fish bowl Milroe has called home. We've talked for years about the 'fish bowl' that is the head coaching job at UA. Now, with this new era (NIL,) the QB's bowl?

 

[musso]

More and more NFL scouts are realizing the truth that he should have been given the MFing Heisman!

 

[BamaFan334]

Books written about their careers at Bama and the league? Books, divided in chapters? Yeah. No doubt. Bryce had four different OC's, didn't he?

The best coaching Hurts received was from Enos: a guy accurately criticized today.

Neither of those two lived inside the fish bowl Milroe has called home. We've talked for years about the 'fish bowl' that is the head coaching job at UA. Now, with this new era (NIL,) the QB's bowl?

I believe the difference between Hurts and Young when being compared to Milroe is that they actually made the people around them better. You could go into a game situation and know you had a better chance of success than failure. Look at Bryce against Auburn, absolute terrible game all game long, but when it mattered he led a ~97 yard drive in less than two minutes with no timeouts and then went and won it in Overtime. Hurts coming in for Tua after riding the bench most of the year in our biggest game at the biggest moment and bringing us back to a victory. Both were cool as a cucumber and simply different mentally than what Milroe has shown me. I think they were all three in a fish bowl, it's just the other two eased concerns time and time again over the third one. Milroe has the Auburn game as well, and even the Georgia game after that, but you still never felt at ease with him compared to the others. I was always in shock when we lost with Hurts and Young. Never was surprised with Milroe. I will say though, beating Georgia in that SEC Championship with Milroe was an unreal feeling.

 

[94 Grad]

Self development, as much as on the football end.

So many pieces to the puzzle that's his career (at Bama, and soon to be the league.) Just as one example when looking forward. Tell me a position coach with a bigger ego than an offensive coordinator/quarterback coach: in the NFL!

---

---

There could be a book written about Jalen and how he has responded to coaching...in the following chapters.

1. BOB
2. Rees
3. Pre-UGA
4. Post-UGA.

Just to be clear, I'm a Milroe fan... I do think he has hit a cap in College ball (mostly due to coaching and the oline performance) so I am not upset he is leaving for the NFL, but I've never been a Milroe hater. I promise you this, I'd take him back for another year in a second as I know what we'd have and it ain't bad at all. He over comes a lot of our Oline issues on his own. I'm not sure our next QB will be so lucky... we will see.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Hey, I wish the best to him and hope it 100% works out, but the framing going on here simply comes across as "hold your breath and hope you don't stumble in a two day window" instead of preparing for a career. I get the metrics they test for yadda yadda, but none of that is a struggle for him. It's the "in-game" aspect of it all. How can we say it doesn't matter how he performs when the lights come on? I guess I will never understand how his 40-inch vertical or 3-cone drill is going to make him a better passer.

My thoughts and posts on this one single topic on here probably rival most any other single topic in the last 10 years or more. Maybe I end up way off the mark, but to this point they've been consistently in line with what has happened re: Milroe. I'm not patting myself on the back and pretending to be some Draftadamus. I'll give thoughts and opinions on him, and have, but most of what I've shared has come from friends in scouting circles. 2 of which have scouted him in person, at both games and practices. And pretty much all of which are in Mobile right now, along with the myriad of other eyeballs that are on Milroe and the dozens of other players.

As to the quoted reply, I don't really understand your first point. He's been training privately (like they all are) to work on getting better. He's not a lock to be a top 5 pick, so Sr. Bowl week is a very good opportunity for him to improve his situation (like it has for countless others). If he had skipped it, questions would have been asked. The fact that he showed up is already a positive for him.

On the in-game stuff, I've said, again, he will likely struggle with the one on one in-depth interviews later on when he has his team visits. At the very least, it'll be one of his biggest hurdles. He's not going to be a Bryce Young who can decipher coverages and give the right answers without skipping a beat. But, he can learn that stuff. And it helps that he's a bright guy, which scouts will easily find out while doing their homework. That, to a degree, will alleviate some of the concerns.

Also, how he performs in games does matter. A lot. It has both helped him and hurt him. But scouts and GM's aren't gonna sweat much over an exhibition bowl game and they aren't even gonna to waste their time on the Senior Bowl itself. He's got a lot of "tape" out there after playing 2 full seasons in the SEC and a good bit of it speaks for itself. Still, his workouts and such going forward will be important as certain teams will be looking for certain things out of him. And my understanding is (not surprisingly), some teams like him more than others. He can knock it out of the park from here on out, and he won't get a round 1 grade from every team. And it could also be a situation where the team(s) that like him the most, don't have a need at QB.

 

[musso]

I’ve been hard on him, perhaps excessively under the circumstances: no OC continuity, lesser WR and OL units than the preceding QBs he’s compared to, and then the earthshaking HC change.

I can’t speak to his mental and visual potential. Some of his worst mistakes have been the worst errors we’ve seen at Bama in recent memory at his position. Do I have to go back as far as Freddie Kitchens to find a QB with lows as low as him??? Or no maybe Pennington under Shula?? Haha

We all know he has the arm strength. I do question his short to medium throws that require touch.

And while we know his straight line speed is impressive, I have to say he often lacked elusiveness and lateral movement so critical to successful running QBs in his mold. He’s not a very fluid and balanced runner. He actually relies more on his physicality to run through tacklers or stiff-arm them. It’s weird because I always felt his running ability was overstated by commentators when really all that warranted praise was his top end speed, which rarely is important for his position.

His pocket presence was badly lacking, which negated the strength of his mobility. What good is being mobile if you can’t sense you need to be mobile?

I appreciate his contributions during a challenging period in the program and with all the rules changes. I wish him nothing but the best. I just think he needs to either be drafted late, which comes with reduced pressure and expectations, and/or drafted with time allowed to develop more.

 

[OldPlayer]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but what has been said is how he will perform in the combine (as well as his interviews here) will determine his draft position which we have believe to be higher than most here have expressed.

From my perspective it's another case of fans having a myopic view. Here, looking at a few games while he was at Bama versus looking at him from the viewpoint of an NFL scout. That is a lot like those who look back at seasons under the guise of one game, or two.

Yup. We all know Milroe has physical skills and talent. But his draft stock will heavily depend on how he performs at the Senior Bowl practices, the combine and any individual workouts he has. He’s had too many field farts to allow him to skip over any opportunity to showcase his skills. I expect a few top rated QBs to be downgraded due to their interviews and skills performance.

 

[OldPlayer]

Just to be clear, I'm a Milroe fan... I do think he has hit a cap in College ball (mostly due to coaching and the oline performance) so I am not upset he is leaving for the NFL, but I've never been a Milroe hater. I promise you this, I'd take him back for another year in a second as I know what we'd have and it ain't bad at all. He over comes a lot of our Oline issues on his own. I'm not sure our next QB will be so lucky... we will see.

I don’t think there are many, if any, Milroe haters. Yes he had some performance glitches. His overcoming of O line issues led to him trying to do it by himself too much and too often. Whoever the next Alabama QB is will have a lot of resources at RB and WR to tap into. Distribute the ball so the defense can’t focus on stopping the one weapon that therefore stops the entire offense.