Jalen Milroe is a raw prospect. There is no getting around that. He has great arm strength and he has elite athleticism, but his accuracy on short and intermediate throws is lacking. A quarterback cannot succeed in the NFL if he can't make the easier throws. Still, the Seattle Seahawks obviously believe in Milroe's ability.
The team chose the quarterback in the third round even though Seattle signed Sam Darnold to a three-year deal in free agency. Darnold is going to be the starter in 2025, but what about beyond?
A quarterback is not chosen in the first three rounds with the team that selects him thinking, "We don't think he will work out." There is a good chance Milroe gets immediate playing time in designed sets. Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr believes Milroe does well on those plays.
NFL analyst predicts Seahawks rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe will do some good things
In a recent prediction article for the 2025 season, Orr says that the Alabama prospect will score at least three touchdowns this coming season. This means that at times, new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak will have more faith in Milroe's success than Darnold's.
Of course, that would also be based on designed plays, and not Milroe fully taking over for Darnold on every down. Not yet, at least.
Plus, if Milroe's obvious immediate fit in Kubiak's scheme is to enter the game in short-yardage situations where Milroe can use his legs, he will also have to pass enough to keep defenses from assuming he is going to run. Milroe has to have success throwing the ball as well.
The rookie quarterback might also only be QB3 at the beginning of the season, with the potential to one season soon become QB1. To get there, he needs to have some real-game experience. Should something happen to Darnold early in the season, though, Drew Lock will probably take over.
Orr implies that Milroe won't only come into the game in run-obvious situations. He writes, "He can take a lot of pressure off Sam Darnold, who will be heavily zero-blitzed after everyone saw Minnesota’s struggles to protect him in the playoffs."
If the concern is that Darnold is going to be blitzed and make a mistake, then that means QB3 will come into the game, at times, on long-yardage situations. Perhaps the Seahawks would want him to toss the ball deep, or maybe he scrambles and picks up chunk yards.
Milroe's accuracy issues tend not to be a problem on long throws, only on shorter ones. This means if Seattle faces 2nd-and-35, maybe Milroe comes in. Or maybe, if the Seahawks have it second-and-goal from the 3-yard line, Milroe comes in because the threat of him running should make defenses play more straight-up.
What we don't want to see, though, is that Milroe has at least three touchdowns because he has been forced into action after Darnold and Lock have been injured. The rookie isn't ready to become QB1. Maybe in 2026.