Field Yates reveals NFL scouts are 'all in' on Jalen Milroe playing quarterback in the NFL

Jalen Milroe has quickly emerged as one of the most controversial players down in Mobile in the build-up to Saturday’s Senior Bowl collegiate all-star game.

But, amid the ongoing critiques into Milroe’s potential as a traditional dropback passer, ESPN NFL Draft analyst Field Yates knows the former Alabama playmaker has what it takes to become a successful NFL quarterback… eventually.

“I think we’ve kind of seen with Jalen Milroe sort of the peaks and the pits with this player. The very good of Jalen Milroe is the guy that rushed for 20 touchdowns last season,” Yates said during a Thursday afternoon hit on The Pat McAfee Show. “I think if he runs during the pre-draft process, it’s going to be a sub-4.4 (second) 40 time, which is obviously uncoachable, but as far as his consistency as a passer, that’s going to be something he has to prove to NFL GMs that he can do at high enough level to be a sustained starter in the league.”

"It's not that Jalen Milroe isn't capable of making all the throws he just doesn't do it frequently enough..

He's a really unique player and development is gonna be a massive theme for what his early career looks like" ~ @FieldYates #PMSLive https://t.co/cS6pTjF7kP pic.twitter.com/96nQDnlmWX

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 30, 2025

Pat McAfee then cited Milroe’s electricity as a dynamic runner before asking if there’s been any consideration into Milroe cross-training at another position.

“We’re all-in on quarterback for Jalen Milroe. … I understand why people ask these questions, it’s a natural one to ask since he might be as fast as any running back he’s on the same field with this afternoon. But it’s all been quarterback-focused for Jalen,” Yates added. “The tricky part about Jalen is that it’s not that he’s incapable of making specific types of throws, he’s not the best rhythm passer yet, it’s just that he doesn’t do it frequently enough.

“There was a throw on the first day of practice here that I thought was maybe the best that we saw from any quarterback on the field, it was a dart to wide receiver Jalen Royals from Utah State, and the next rep Jalen Milroe has a ball that lands in the dirt at the feet of the wide receiver,” Yates continued. “And you’re saying to yourself, if he could just do the first half of what we saw at a much more consistent level, there’d be no question that you’d be in the first-round conversation. He’s a really unique player.”

That uniqueness has some NFL teams viewing Milroe as worthwhile gamble, whether that’s in the first-round or on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft in late April. Regardless of where Milroe lands, Yates hopes the team that picks him shows some serious patience with the 22-year-old dual-threat QB.

“I do think that whatever team takes him, hopefully we’ve learned our lesson from some of these quarterbacks that have come into the NFL young  — and Jalen is a true junior so he’s a younger prospect,” Yates concluded. “I know that we have guys that come in and make their mark like Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix this last year, but those guys are much more the exception than the rule. And development is going to be a massive theme for what Jalen Milroe’s early career looks like.”