Jalen Milroe 3.45 Second Time To Throw

I love Alabama quarterback (QB) Jalen Milroe, but I can’t afford for that to get in the way of my grading. As much as it pains my heart, I have no choice but to move Milroe down on my 2025 NFL Draft Board.

Why?

After moving him up to a ‘developmental’ first-round grade after studying the first half of 2023, I didn’t like what I saw as much studying him in the second half of last season.

I already knew he wasn’t going to be a ‘plug-and-play’ franchise QB, and that he would need time to develop in the NFL, but he looked more limited as a passer in the second half of last season.

What he’s doing works playing college ball, but it won’t work going into a league that requires quarterbacks making consistent multiple progressions while reading the whole field, a quick time to throw, and precise downfield ball placement to achieve success. In 2023, NFL QB times to throw were between 2.36 seconds and 3.23 seconds (Next Gen Stats).

Maybe part of it is my evolving as an evaluator too. I feel like I am becoming more in tune with the traits it takes for college QBs to successfully transition to the NFL and ‘processing time’ (time to throw) is near the top of that list.

Milroe’s 3.45-second average time to throw was the slowest time to throw in the FBS.

That gives me pause when making an NFL projection.

What was on the film?

I’m not a big analytics guy, but what scares me most about Milroe’s ‘time to throw’ number is that’s exactly what it looks like on film.

• Short
• Intermediate
• Deep

IT DIDN’T MATTER.

A slower release time threw everything off and caused average-looking ball placement because too often the timing was off between Milroe and his targets.

Milroe threw 12 pass breakups (1.71 per game average). He also wasn’t throwing with much anticipation at the intermediate route level (11-19 yards). He tended to throw to wide-open targets or receivers after they made their breaks at route break points. While his forte is the deep ball, I tallied 8/21 (38%) completions. Even that wasn’t what it needed to be.

Holding the ball too long also caused Milroe to take 44 sacks in 2023. In addition, he ran A LOT, with 161 rushing attempts. Too often bailing out of a crumbling pocket because there is only so long the line could hold up.

Simple offense

A television announcer stated Alabama has had to adjust their offense by creating more designed runs for Milroe and ‘flood concepts,’ which are multiple receivers running routes on one side of the field so he doesn’t have to read the whole field.

During that same Kentucky game, the announcer said, “Tommy Rees [Alabama offensive coordinator] mentioned when we talked to him, ‘I want to take some of the quick decisions off his plate and just let him be an athlete, give him a couple lead blockers, get into some green grass and let him take over.'”

#4 Jalen Milroe 6-foot-2, 220 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2024 Summer Grade: Third-Round (I would select him)

Projected by 37.9% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of May 12, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

Jalen Milroe Raw NFL Prospect (2022: 8 games evaluated)

Miami Dolphins to Target Alabama QB Jalen Milroe First Round (2023: 6 games evaluated)

Game film reviewed (2023): Tennessee, LSU, Kentucky, Chattanooga, Auburn, Georgia, and Michigan (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

An elite athlete learning the art of quarterbacking. Operates out of the gun. Dynamic vibe. Didn’t always look confident with the offense. Nice play action motions. Tough. Composed under pressure. One to two reads max. NFL arm strength. Inconsistent footwork, progressions, and release points in dropbacks. Can manipulate and hold defensive backs with his eyes pre-release, but doesn’t do it enough. Misses tend to sail high or get overthrown. A physical and gifted runner. Flashes burst. Can pick up big chunks of yardage. Higher risk for injury due to run frequency.

What to watch for during the 2024 college football season

1. Time to throw?

2. Throwing into the intermediate route level with consistent anticipation?

3. Reading the whole field?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.