Ryan Clark predicts Jalen Milroe could become ‘the best pick of this entire Draft’

Ryan Clark has had his eyes on Jalen Milroe for some time. It’s why the former LSU and NFL superstar-turned-ESPN analyst believes the uber-talented former Alabama quarterback could end up being “the best pick of this entire draft” when all is said and done.

During a Tuesday morning discussion on ESPN’s First Take regarding fellow analyst Peter Schrager‘s “Top 5 NFL Draft Wild Cards,” in which he ranked Milroe at No. 5, Clark made it a point to suggest the dynamic Crimson Tide alum has the potential to shine in the right circumstances.

“More fascinating at the quarterback position, to me, than even Shedeur Sanders is not where Jalen Milroe will go, it’s who Jalen Milroe will become,” Clark said Tuesday. “This dude goes 4.37 (seconds in the 40-yard dash) at his Pro Day. We’ve seen the explosive plays. There are days when you watch him play a game like (against) Georgia from early on in the (2024) season that you thought he’d be drafted ahead of Cam Ward coming into this draft. And then you watch the rest of the season, and you see the inaccuracies, you see the inconsistencies, and you have zero idea what this dude could be as a passer.

“If Jalen Milroe falls to the right place, we could be looking back years from now … and saying to ourselves that Jalen Milroe was the best pick of this entire draft.”

Milroe was one of 17 prospects that accepted invitations to attend the 2025 NFL Draft in person from Green Bay, Wisc., where he’ll be joined by fellow former Alabama players Tyler Booker and Jihaad Campbell. But while his ex-teammates are widely considered Day 1 draft picks, Milroe is thought to be more of a project that is likely a solid Day 2 selection.

That said, Milroe’s elite athleticism — including, as Clark pointed out, a sub-4.4 second speed — has some draft prognosticators believing a quarterback-needy team could jump the gun and take a first-round flier on Milroe based on his potential alone. And given his take Tuesday, it’s clear Clark would be in favor of such a move. Especially if it’s a place where Milroe will have time to develop.

In their latest mock draft, ESPN experts Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates projected the Pittsburgh Steelers will trade up to the top of Round 3 to select Milroe with the 68th overall pick. Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus also mocked Milroe to the Steelers, but suggested Pittsburgh pull the trigger in the opening round with their No. 21 overall pick.

2025 NFL Draft: Jalen Milroe addresses risk of slide after accepting invite

Milroe’s invitation to the NFL Draft raised eyebrows, mostly because the NFL typically prefers to invite players with sure-fire first-round grades. However, Milroe – whose name is reportedly “gaining steam” with a week to go – has mostly been viewed as a Day 2 selection at best. If he drops out of Day 1, the concern would be about a potential Will Levis situation after the former Kentucky quarterback sat in the green room before hearing his name called early on Day 2 in 2023.

However, Milroe told Jim Rome he’s not worrying about a slide down the board. From his perspective, it’s all about hearing commissioner Roger Goodell call his name no matter when it happens.

“I’m not really necessarily concerned about that because I know that it’s all about hearing my name called and seeing the smiling faces of my family members because they know how hard their son has worked his whole life,” Milroe told Rome. “That’s the thing that we’re all excited about, just hearing my name called – whenever that may be. At the end of the day, you still have to put in the work. No matter where you’re placed in the draft, you’ve still got to put in the work. You’ve still got to earn the trust of the coaching staff, you’ve still got to build a relationship with the guys in the locker room.

“So despite anywhere you’re placed on the draft board, it doesn’t matter. It’s all about how hard you work and it’s all about the buy-in process of that period of time. Despite anything, I’m just excited to be able to achieve my dream, which is be an NFL quarterback.”

— On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.