Jalen Milroe is one of the most polarizing prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft Class. While he has his deficiencies as a passer, his ability as a runner is undeniable. Milroe is one of the best rushing quarterbacks to ever come out of college, and some NFL evaluators even say he is the best.
Multiple Scouts Call Jalen Milroe the ‘Greatest’ Rushing Quarterback Prospect Ever
“Several coaches and scouts told me, as I was making calls about all these quarterbacks, Jalen Milroe is the greatest runner of the football they’ve evaluated at the quarterback position,” said NFL Network analyst Tom Pelissero on ‘Good Morning Football.’ “Not Lamar Jackson; Jalen Milroe is the best runner that they’ve ever seen.”
Is @JalenMilroe a better runner at the QB position than Lamar Jackson?@TomPelissero on the "eye-opening" comments he's heard from NFL coaches and scouts 👀 (via @gmfb) pic.twitter.com/AwYm1gsSUf
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) April 21, 2025
As a rusher, Milroe totaled 1,577 yards and 33 touchdowns on only 375 attempts in 38 career collegiate games at Alabama. 8.8% of his collegiate carries went for touchdowns.
In 2024, Milroe had his best season as a rusher, carrying the ball 168 times for 726 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Compare that to Jackson, who carried the ball 655 times for 4,132 yards and 50 touchdowns in his collegiate career at Louisville. While Jackson’s numbers are higher across the board, he had 280 more carries than Milroe, so it isn’t fair to count just the career totals.
The fact that Milroe is even in the conversation as a two-time NFL MVP award winner is impressive in itself.
However, while you can argue who the better runner is, Milroe has a long way to go as a passer to catch up to where Jackson was coming out of college. The combination of passing and rushing is why Jackson was a Heisman Trophy winner.
In his career, Milroe completed 64.3% of his passes for 6,016 yards, 45 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions. On the other hand, Jackson completed 57.0 % of his passes for 9,043 yards, 69 touchdowns, and 27 interceptions.
Despite deficiencies as a passer, Milroe has physical gifts that could make him a tantalizing developmental quarterback prospect for teams needing a long-term answer at the position.
In PFSN’s latest mock draft from NFL draft analyst, Ian Cummings, Milroe is projected to go No. 25 to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a trade-back scenario with the Houston Texans.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers are in an unideal situation of their own making, but if Pittsburgh is going to reach for a quarterback (again), this is the ideal scenario,” said Cummings. “Find a trade partner and acquire more capital, and take one of Jalen Milroe or Jaxson Dart at a more acceptable value point.”
“Between Milroe and Dart, Milroe has a higher grade on my board, mainly due to the rare physical talent he possesses,” Cummings added. “He still needs time to refine his operational framework, but he’s a Justin Fields-level runner with a rocket arm and improving passing mechanics.”
The Steelers are one of several teams linked to Milroe due to their obvious need at the quarterback position. The New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams, New York Jets, and Las Vegas Raiders are among the other teams that could be interested in drafting a developmental quarterback like Milroe.
Milroe is attending the NFL Draft and will surely be one of the biggest names to watch as the draft unfolds. Whether he goes in the first round or falls to day two remains to be seen. Whichever team selects him will be swinging for the fences on a highly raw quarterback prospect with elite physical tools.