ESPN Analyst Sees Jalen Milroe Falling to Steelers in 3rd Round
The announcement that Alabama Jalen Milroe, who is on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ radar, was invited to attend the 2025 NFL Draft was a shock to many fans. That is usually an honor reserved for first-round locks, and even in a quarterback class as weak as this one, Milroe didn’t seem to fall in that category.
However, ESPN NFL analyst Ben Solak thinks the Alabama prospect ought to book a second night in Green Bay, anyway. In a QB-only mock draft, Solak projects Milroe will fall all the way to the third round, and that the Steelers will draft him with the 83rd overall pick.
“Milroe as a draft attendee reminds me of Malik Willis as a draft attendee,” Solak wrote. “Yes, the traits might be first-round caliber, but the play isn’t there just yet.”
Solak projects Milroe as the fifth quarterback off the board, with Pittsburgh forgoing the position for their first pick.
Solak acknowledged that Aaron Rodgers’ decision comes into play here, as the 41-year-old would likely be a bridge to whomever general manager Omar Khan drafts. However, he also questioned Milroe’s fit in the Steelers’ offense, because of how they didn’t fully buy-in to Justin Fields’ dual-threat capabilities in 2024.
“Pittsburgh showed little interest in building an offense around Fields, as it only marginally included designed QB runs,” he said. “Any team drafting Milroe — who ran a 4.4 at his pro day — needs to major in such a scheme.”
Milroe is remarkably athletic. He ran for 20 touchdowns last year at Bama, and with Najee Harris gone, his presence under center could add another layer to Arthur Smith’s run game, as the Steelers did with Fields in short-yard situations. With Rodgers taking the bulk of the reps, Milroe can help where he’s needed, while the Steelers try to shape him into a long-term solution.
To facilitate Milroe’s drop to the third round, Solak projects the rest of the league to be conservative when it comes to such a weak pool of quarterback prospects.
In his mock, nobody jumped up to draft someone earlier than they’re slotted, and only two signal-callers were picked in the first round on Thursday night: Cam Ward first overall to the Tennessee Titans and Shedeur Sanders third to the New York Giants. In the second round, the Cleveland Browns jumped on Jaxson Dart, and Tyler Shough was picked up by the Seattle Seahawks.