As we get closer to the NFL Draft, there’s a growing sense of impatience regarding Aaron Rodgers. That could lead the Steelers to decide to draft a quarterback during the NFL Draft. That’s what ESPN’s Field Yates and Mel Kiper projected in their latest mock draft posted on Tuesday. They had Pittsburgh trading up 15 spots in the third round to land Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe.
On ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike on Tuesday, Chris Canty, Evan Cohen, and Michelle Smallmon reacted to that mock draft. On the topic of Milroe, Canty was supportive of the selection.
“Boy, Jalen Milroe at 68 (overall pick) to the Steelers feels like a Mike Tomlin pick, doesn’t it?” Canty asked. “It just does. Doesn’t that fit Mike Tomlin’s style of play? We’re gonna run the football. We’re gonna lean on this big, physical offensive line. They’ve invested a lot of draft capital in the last two years on that group… It feels like the Steelers’ brand of football, by rolling with a quarterback like Jalen Milroe, not just with how Milroe plays, but in terms of what they want their overall identity to be.”
Milroe is one of several quarterback prospects the Steelers have spoken to this offseason. Milroe had dinner with the Steelers’ brass before his Pro Day back in March. They haven’t brought him in for an official visit, but they likely discussed any topics they felt were important with him during that dinner anyway.
Milroe is one of the more interesting quarterback prospects in the entire class. During his final year at Alabama in 2024, we got the full experience of what he brings to the game. Milroe is a gifted athlete, one of the more athletic quarterbacks to come out of the draft in recent memory. The only recent top quarterback prospects with similar athleticism would be Justin Fields and Jayden Daniels.
With that said, Jalen Milroe is very much a project. While he’s excellent with his legs, watching him attempt to beat defenses with his arm throughout a full season may be scary initially. He threw a decent amount of interceptions in 2024, many of which came from simple missed reads. Our own Alex Kozora covered his scouting report, which you can read here.
However, his traits give him a high ceiling in the right offense. Arthur Smith made things work with Justin Fields during the first six games of 2024, winning four of them. Fields is another quarterback who has struggled as a passer, but Smith was able to help Fields limit mistakes and play arguably the best stretch of football in his pro career. It’s realistic to think Milroe could succeed in the Steelers’ offense in 2025 in a similar fashion.
Where Milroe will get drafted is another question. Because of the time he may take to develop, some see him as a day-two prospect. However, he did receive an invitation to the first round of the draft next Thursday. That doesn’t happen unless the league has some insight that he could go in the first. That may give him less chance to last until the third round, when Yates and Kiper had him going off the board. If he is available, though, it’d be a good selection for Pittsburgh.