Louis Riddick evaluates where Jalen Milroe fits in mold of Josh Allen, Anthony Richardson

ESPN NFL Draft analyst Louis Riddick has a keen eye for talent having spent 13 years as an NFL scout before joining the Worldwide Leader.

It’s why the former NFL safety and ex-director of pro personnel with both the Eagles and Commanders has taken a special interest in Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe during Senior Bowl week in Mobile, Ala.

Following the second day of Senior Bowl practices on Wednesday, Riddick gave a rather blunt evaluation of the now-former Crimson Tide dual-threat quarterback to ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.

“I think uneven is a great word because that really does define what his time has been like down in Mobile so far,” Riddick said Wednesday on the SEC Network‘s The Paul Finebaum Show. “The good is great. He threw a corner route today at about 35-40 yards that was as pretty as you’ll ever see in one-on-ones with wide receivers and defensive backs. When he got into team (drills) and he had to be the one getting in the huddle and regurgitating the play, getting up to the line of scrimmage, being able to execute the proper footwork and then be able to get his eyes down the field and put the ball where he needed to, there were some good moments and then there were some moments where he was way off target and looked totally unsure of himself.”

Certainly not the most glowing review of Milroe, who has become a controversial figure among NFL personnel since entering the 2025 NFL Draft in early January following an inconsistent 2024 season in which he combined for more than 3,500 total yards and 36 touchdowns but struggled with decision-making and a career-high 11 interceptions as a passer.

Milroe has long drawn comparisons to Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson given their electric running abilities and strong throwing arms, but doubters remain. It’s because of those passing concerns that Riddick sees more apt comparisons to Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen and Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson, both of whom have battled criticism about their development as a passer.

“Look, I think with Jalen, the book is not going to be written on him for quite a while. And a lot of it is going to have to do where he goes in the draft, and I don’t mean round. I mean where he goes in terms of the place that he goes to and the structure they have around him,” Riddick continued. “And then most importantly, the kind of work he puts in from now until the time comes for him to actually step on the football field at the NFL level.

“It’s been proven that guys can improve on accuracy, improve upon repeatable mechanics. Josh Allen is really the poster boy in the NFL for that, Anthony Richardson is going through it right now. Jalen Milroe is basically in the same boat. So if you’re a football team that doesn’t have patience and doesn’t have a good developmental program, do not draft him. Do not do that to the young man. He needs time. He’s supremely gifted, he’s shown that in flashes, but he has a lot of work ahead of him still.”

Louis Riddick weighs risks of drafting Jalen Milroe, evaluates why draft stock has fallen

All eyes at the Senior Bowl this week are on Milroe, who opted to turn pro after the 2024 season rather than put another year on tape in college next fall.

That was a move that came with plenty of risks, according to Riddick, who currently sees Milroe getting drafted between the second and fourth round.

“Look, the draft is an exercise of minimizing risk and reducing risk,” Riddick told Finebaum on Wednesday. “So when he has a season that, to use your word is characterized as ‘uneven’ and I agree with, that equates to more risk being injected into the equation for teams, and teams don’t like that. So naturally how is that represented in the draft? It means you get drafted later on, because it minimizes the risk for the team.”

Milroe is unquestionably one of the best athletes in the draft. How far that will get him remains to be seen.

“So again, it’s subjective from team to team as to how much risk people associate with drafting Jalen Milroe, and a lot of that’s going to depend on what their individual situation is and what they believe to be the plan in place that they could put into place in order to help the young man out and how they kind of assess him individually as far as is he willing to go ahead and work at it and really address the deficiencies that he has so he can even out that performance,” Riddick said.

“He’ll be one of the most intriguing players in this year’s draft because of that variance in opinion that people are going to naturally have,” Riddick said. “Can he make up a lot of ground between now and the draft? There’s always the ability to kind of sway people as far as making them like you even more based upon how you do here, how you do in your pre-draft workout, how you do at the Combine, how you do in your individual meetings and interviews. There’s always time in order for you to kind of boost your stock a little bit.”

Thomas Goldkamp contributed to this report.