The New York Jets enter the 2025 NFL draft with major questions at the quarterback position. At the moment, the team rosters veteran Tyrod Taylor and former 2021 first-round pick Justin Fields. Taylor (who should have had some run early in the 2024 season before Aaron Rodgers had his legs under him) is a suitable backup, but he should not be playing meaningful snaps for a team that’s in a rebuilding season. Meanwhile, Fields has a record of 6-14 when having to pass more than 25 times, suggesting a player who isn’t able to perform when the game script is not working. As we near the 2025 NFL draft, the Jets are connected to yet another quarterback. That player is Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe. Should the Jets be “in” on the signal caller? Or should they stay away?
Should the Jets say no to Jalen Milroe?
At the NFL Combine, the Jets quarterbacks coach Charles London was spotted with Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe. Evidently, the Jets coach had Milroe “working out” while other quarterbacks were testing. There has been no in-depth explanation on the drills the Jets had Milroe doing. It’s worth noting that the Jets have taken interest in the Alabama prospect. Should the Jets target the young signal-caller?
One of the biggest problems with Milroe is a problem that Justin Fields also faces. He cannot process at an NFL level. While I’ll break down his time at Alabama, what honestly stood out the most was his performance at the Senior Bowl.
For fans who aren’t aware, the plays that are called for both the offense and defense at the Senior Bowl are as vanilla as they come. That’s done on purpose, to make players look as good as possible while in front of numerous scouts and executives. They aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel. Despite that, there were three plays where Milroe could not read the field on simple concepts. All three times it would have ended in sacks. The Alabama prospect was the only quarterback that had such difficulties during the practice. Here’s two of them:
We also have the third play in question. This one is worse, as he would have been sacked in a real game - yet still threw an interception to an open target because he was so late on the read. It got so bad, that at one point coaches just stopped calling passing concepts while he was under center.
But wait, there’s more.
Milroe was also the only quarterback (and on this rep, the only player) to completely forget the play call. This is a mistake that simply shouldn’t happen in this type of setting.
A poor performance at the Senior Bowl isn’t the end all, be all for a prospect. The Alabama tape is filled with a lot more highlights for Crimson Tide quarterback. However, the tape also shows why the Jets should avoid Milroe.
The Alabama product is a true boom-or-bust player. He only threw 16 passing touchdowns to 11 interceptions, but he also had 20 rushing touchdowns. For a player whose EPA/dropback was something to admire, it arguably fell off a cliff this past season. Milroe ranked 36th in the nation in that advanced stat, while also ranking 54th in yards per dropback, at 6.76 yards.
The film shows a player that clearly has problems reading the situation unfolding around him.
This isn’t something new, either. This has been on Milroe’s film for a long time. He’s an athletic player, but that can only get you so far, especially in the NFL.
At the moment, Milroe is being graded as a Day 2 player. I’m not sold on taking him on Day 2. However, there’s a reason the Jets may do it.
Milroe’s archetype fits what Aaron Glenn wants
Just because I disagree with something, doesn’t mean I don’t see the vision. With the Jets acquiring Fields in free agency, it makes sense as to why the team would be interested in Milroe. After all, the two players mirror each other. We can’t completely ignore the team opting to work Milroe out at the NFL Combine.
I won’t keep digging on Milroe’s faults, as there are positives as to why the Jets are targeting this type of quarterback.
Both Milroe and Fields have strong arms, and an ability to make plays happen with their legs. They’re tough football players with great leadership qualities. It makes sense to have a quarterback room where the group mirrors each other. It makes it easier on a coordinator if one player gets injured, and can help keep the team in sync in that scenario.
On top of that, Milroe is a high-upside prospect who could develop with the right pieces in front of him. He could also be an interesting option if Fields doesn’t work out.
It remains to be seen if Milroe becomes the Jets’ selection. While there could be positives in the event it does happen, I believe it would be better for the Jets to stay away from Milroe in the 2025 NFL draft.
