The spotlight shines brightly when you’re the quarterback at the University of Alabama. Every throw, every touchdown, and, most importantly, every interception you produce is going to be scrutinized.
That was the world Jalen Milroe lived through during his time with the Crimson Tide, especially the 27 games he started. There were plenty of highs in those times, but more than a few lows as well.
A career night in a win over then-No. 1 Georgia was followed up the very next week by a turnover-plagued loss to Vanderbilt. An impressive performance, including 185 rushing yards, in a win at LSU was followed up two weeks later by a three-interception night in a loss at Oklahoma that torpedoed Alabama’s College Football Playoff chances.
Watching through those ups and downs was Kalen DeBoer, who was in his first season as Nick Saban’s successor as Alabama’s head coach. What DeBoer saw in his quarterback was someone who, be it a high or a low, was able to put that behind him and focus on the next thing.
“It’s huge to be able to move on,” DeBoer said this week in an exclusive phone interview with the Beacon Journal. “It’s huge to be able to own things, and I think that’s something he’s always done. … He’s put things always on his shoulders when it’s hardest. So he’s done what leaders and quarterbacks do and he’s had to do that here at Alabama, which is one of the hardest places to do that. There’s a lot of attention on you.”
Somehow, Milroe may have found the one place where you get more attention than he was already getting as the Crimson Tide quarterback. That’s through the NFL’s draft process.
The stereotype of the 6-foot-1½, 220-pound Milroe throughout his Alabama career was that of a quarterback who was much more runner than passer. He ran for 1,577 yards in 38 games, including 726 yards last season, while throwing for 6,016 yards in his career, including more than 2,830 yards each of his two seasons as a starter.
Those bullish on Milroe’s potential as an NFL starting quarterback point to Baltimore Ravens two-time Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson, who fell to No. 32 overall in the 2018 draft because of some of the same criticisms of his game. DeBoer didn’t go to far as to say it was a one-to-one comparison between the two players, but did say the way the Ravens have utilized Jackson is an ideal blueprint for Milroe.
“I think it’s that style of play that would be a great fit for him for sure,” DeBoer said. “And there’s a lot of things you can do, as we’ve seen with Lamar, at that level that you can win a lot of football games. And so that I think is fair. Again, we’re talking about the style, I’m talking about the style, and now it’s a matter of being around the right people as you continue to develop and grow and keep taking those steps each and every day, each and every year.”
Milroe has been linked to the Browns as a potential target as they look to fix a quarterback room broken by the failed Deshaun Watson trade. General manager Andrew Berry and coach Kevin Stefanski were among Cleveland’s contingent in Mobile, Ala., a week ago to watch him and other prospects perform during the Senior Bowl practices.
Milroe’s Senior Bowl week was up and down at best, according to those in attendance. The same struggles he showed while in college in Tuscaloosa — lack of accuracy, lack of pocket presence, turnovers — showed up a few hours south in Mobile.
DeBoer knows as well as anyone the shortcomings Milroe may have in his game. He also said the 22-year-old Katy, Texas, native understands that as well and will do what he can to improve upon those not just through the draft, but through his career.
“I mean, your job is to move the ball down the field and put the ball in the end zone and win football games, and so what can you keep working on?” DeBoer said. “It’s going to be just relentlessly working with your skill guys being on the same page with your coach. I mean, he does those things. So I think it’s just staying the course on a lot of that and the development continuing to be there.”
DeBoer knows of what he speaks. He saw it more than a year ago with Michael Penix Jr., a quarterback he coached at the University of Washington.
Penix, who is two years older than Milroe, had his own doubters for a variety of reasons coming out of college. However, he ended up going No. 8 overall in last April’s draft to the Atlanta Falcons, played in five games with three starts as a rookie and is expected to be the team’s opening-day starter next season.
There’s a through line, DeBoer said, not just between Penix and Milroe, but another current NFL quarterback who he coached in college — Fresno State product and 2023 New Orleans Saints fourth-round pick Jake Haener. It’s what he said is the central piece to any player becoming successful at the next level.
“They’re all three very motivated,” DeBoer said. “I mean, I think that’s where it starts. I mean, guys that are driven to be great and want to be great quarterbacks.”
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Alabama QB Jalen Milroe a possible Browns 2025 NFL draft target
