Seahawks pick Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in round three of NFL draft

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) jogs off the field after the team’s win against Middle Tennessee in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe has been picked by the Seattle Seahawks with the No. 92 overall pick in the third round of the NFL draft.

As CBS Sports reports, several coaches and scouts believe Milroe is the best running quarterback they’ve ever seen.

Milroe led the SEC with 71 touchdowns over the past two seasons, 32 on the ground. Last season, 20 of Milroe’s 36 touchdowns came from his rushing prowess. Tim Tebow, Cam Newton and Johnny Manziel are the only other SEC quarterbacks to ever rush for 20 touchdowns in a single season.

However, last season Milroe threw just five touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions in SEC play.

Milroe was the fourth quarterback selected in the draft, behind the University of Miami’s Cam Ward and Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart in the first round, then Louisville’s Tyler Shough in the second round. In Seattle, Milroe will join quarterbacks Sam Darnold, Drew Lock, Sam Howell and Jaren Hall.

A two-time permanent team captain and a two-year starter at quarterback with the Crimson Tide, Milroe accumulated 7,593 career yards to rank fifth in program history, while averaging 199.8 yards per game, good for third in Alabama records. He was also responsible for 78 career touchdowns to rank fourth in UA annals with his 33 rushing scores finishing eighth in program history.

Through the air, he accumulated 6,016 career yards and 45 passing touchdowns, both of which ranked seventh by a Tide signal-caller. The 2024 campaign saw him throw for 2,844 yards and 16 scores on 205-of-319 passing to go with 726 yards and 20 touchdowns on 168 rushes.

Milroe accounted for 3,570 total yards, the sixth-most in UA single-season history, and registered 36 touchdowns, including 20 rushing scores, both of which tied him for the fourth-most in UA single-season history. He also led the SEC with 218 points and a 16.8 points per game average in 2024. As a first-year starter in 2023, Milroe completed 187-of-284 passes for 2,834 yards and 23 touchdowns while adding 161 rushes for 531 yards and 12 scores.

He finished the season ranked second in the SEC and fifth nationally for passer efficiency rating at 172.2 and led all quarterbacks while ranking fifth in the league at any position for rushing touchdowns.

Also a standout in the classroom, Milroe earned both his undergraduate and master’s degrees in a four-year span. His academic success was recognized in 2024 when Milroe was selected as the William V. Campbell Trophy recipient, college football’s top academic honor. He became just the second Campbell Trophy winner in program history, joining Barett Jones in 2012.