The Seattle Seahawks made a change at quarterback this offseason. After 11 seasons of Russell Wilson and three seasons of Geno Smith, the team now has Sam Darnold as QB1. Smith, a long-term backup, worked out somewhat well, so maybe Darnold, a backup before last season for many seasons, will work out, too.
But Darnold's contract is structured so that if he fails, the team could move on from him ahead of the 2026 season. His three-year deal has no guaranteed money in years two and three. The team also cannot rely on current backup Sam Howell moving forward, either. Potentially, general manager John Schneider might spend a 2025 draft pick on a quarterback.
Seattle has reportedly met with a couple of the team's pre-draft in-person (and non-local) visits that the team can host. The Seahawks can have up to 30 of these. The team hosted Louisville's Tyler Shough on one visit, and he might be worth taking if it is later in the draft.
Seahawks should avoid taking quarterback Jalen Milroe in the 2025 NFL draft
The other quarterback the Seahawks have hosted is not worth choosing in the draft, and that is Alabama's Jalen Milroe. There is nothing wrong with Milroe's character. He is smart and was a good leader in the locker room for the Crimson Tide. He won the William V. Campbell Trophy, which goes to the college football player with the best combination of grades, leadership, and on-field performance.
As a quarterback in the NFL, though, he lacks quite a bit. He is highly inaccurate inside the pocket. He lacks touch on short throws and long ones. He has the arm talent to make any throw on the field, but the strength of arm to overthrow any open wide receiver. Dreadfully, he threw five touchdown passes in SEC play in 2024, but 10 interceptions.
A lot of SEC players are going to move on to the NFL. If Milroe failed in arguably the best conference in college football, he is not suddenly going to be better against professional players.
He can run well, too, but his indecisiveness about when to run and when to pass is limited. That is what is most frustrating. He is intelligent, but that does not seem to translate to playing football well, at least not consistently. The Seahawks just rid themselves of a quarterback who made too many red-zone errors. Adding one who can make mistakes all over the field makes no sense.
Even if Milroe lasts until the sixth round, Seattle should pass on him. Chances are, he will never become a legitimate starting quarterback in the NFL. He is intelligent and a high-quality person, though, so he will likely find success elsewhere in life.