Quarterback prospect Jalen Milroe had “impressive” workouts with the New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns, FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz reported on Monday.
With less than three weeks before the NFL Draft, Milroe’s stock is seemingly rising. He’s accepted an invitation to attend the draft, per the Athletic, and has shown teams with high draft capital that he could be part of their future.
Milroe is a skilled scrambler who could help an NFL team with his athleticism.
“He’s so explosive,” FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt said. “He’s immediately the most dangerous player on the field.”
That being said, he is a raw prospect who hasn’t been included in the first round of many NFL mock drafts.
FOX Sports NFL Draft analyst Rob Rang considered slotting Milroe in for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but ultimately decided Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough was a better fit. Klatt did not have Milroe ranked in his top 50 prospects piece released on Monday.
[Related: 2025 NFL Draft Big Board: Joel Klatt’s top 50 prospects]
What’s held Milroe back is his inconsistency as a passer. He never threw for more than 3,000 yards in a season in college, and he’s coming off his final year at Alabama in which he threw 16 touchdowns to 11 interceptions.
But now that he’s performed in front of scouts, his individual ability has stood out, and he could be an attractive prospect if a team thinks it can develop him.
Both the Saints and Browns have picks inside the top 10 of the first and second rounds, as well as question marks at the quarterback position.
The Saints are basically married to Derek Carr because of his contract situation. They signed him to a four-year, $150 million deal in 2023. He’s owed around $75 million over the next two seasons, with a cap hit that reaches $69.2 million in 2026, yet he hasn’t rewarded New Orleans with much success. The Saints have gone 14-13 in games he’s started and have missed the playoffs in both of his seasons.
Carr played through a shoulder injury through much of 2023, and he sat out seven games last season due to separate hand and oblique injuries. The Saints went 0-7 last season in games Carr missed as backups Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler struggled.
In Cleveland, the only healthy quarterback on the roster is Kenny Pickett. Deshaun Watson tore his Achilles during Week 7 of the 2024 season and due to a setback, he could miss the entire 2025 season.
Even if Watson were to return, he’s started just 19 games over the last three seasons and led Cleveland to a 9-10 record. The Browns signed him to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million deal in 2022, which the owner, Jim Haslam, has now openly admitted was a mistake.
Pickett started 24 games across two seasons with Pittsburgh and went 14-10, but he put up just a 78.8 passer rating and threw the same number of touchdowns as he did interceptions. He spent last season as the Philadelphia Eagles‘ backup before being traded to the Browns on March 12 in a deal that sent backup quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson to Philadelphia.
[Related: Nick Wright unveils his new NFL mock draft]
Both the Browns and the Saints are coming off losing seasons and need more help than just at quarterback. Potential foundational pieces like Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter and Colorado cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter have most often been tied to Cleveland with the No. 2 pick. Michigan cornerback Will Johnson and LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell have been heavily mocked to the Saints at No. 9.
If that’s how the first round unfolds, then those two teams could still go after a quarterback within their next few picks.
“With the second pick (the Browns) should really focus on building that roster,” former NFL defensive back Will Blackmon said on “The Speak” on Monday. “You should be in a situation where you do get Travis Hunter or you do get Abdul Carter. And then you find a way — maybe you stay there at the 33rd pick in the second round — to find another quarterback.”
What should the Cleveland Browns do with the No. 2 Pick? | Speak
“Or,” Blackmon added, “you find a way to trade back in.”
Despite Milroe mostly being projected as a Day 2 pick, it’s possible that he jumps into the first round. It happened last year when Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix were drafted earlier than expected. Now, with the steam Milroe has gained, any team seeking his services may have to take an aggressive approach to secure him.
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