The Seattle Seahawks might have struck gold in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, selecting Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe with the 93rd overall pick on April 25 at Lambeau Field. It’s a pick that echoes one of the franchise’s greatest draft steals: Russell Wilson, also a third-rounder back in 2012, who went on to deliver 10 elite seasons, including a Super Bowl XLVIII win and a return trip to Super Bowl XLIX. Milroe, a dynamic dual-threat quarterback, has the potential to follow in Wilson’s footsteps, and I believe he’ll emerge as the Seahawks’ starting quarterback by the end of the 2025 season, even with the team signing Sam Darnold in free agency.
Milroe’s college career at Alabama was a showcase of his playmaking ability, but it was his performance on September 28, 2024, that made me a believer. That night, in a 41-34 thriller against Georgia, Milroe put on a Lamar Jackson-esque display, going 27-for-33 for 374 passing yards and two touchdowns while adding 16 carries for 117 rushing yards and two more scores. He was the best player on the field in a game that cemented his status as a big-time talent. Over his two seasons as Alabama’s full-time starter, Milroe completed at least 64.3% of his passes each year, throwing for 2,834 yards and 23 touchdowns against six interceptions in 2023, and 3,284 yards with 21 touchdowns in 2024. His 10 yards per pass attempt in 2023 showed his ability to stretch the field, and his mobility added another dimension—he rushed for 726 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2024 alone, finishing his career with 33 rushing touchdowns, including 32 over his final two seasons.
What makes Milroe special isn’t just his stats—it’s his mental toughness and experience. He backed up Bryce Young in 2021 and 2022, learning behind a Heisman winner, and took over as Alabama’s starter in 2023. When Nick Saban retired after that season, Milroe stayed committed, playing under new coach Kalen DeBoer in 2024 and delivering a solid year, earning the William V. Campbell Trophy—known as the “academic Heisman”—and a second straight team captaincy. That kind of leadership and adaptability, especially amid a coaching change, shows he’s got the intangibles to succeed in the NFL. Over his starting tenure, he had three games with 300-plus passing yards and five with 100-plus rushing yards, proving he can dominate in multiple ways. At 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, with a 4.52-second 40-yard dash, Milroe’s combination of size, speed, and arm strength makes him a perfect fit for today’s NFL, where mobile quarterbacks like Jackson, Josh Allen, and Jayden Daniels are thriving.
The Seahawks are an ideal landing spot for Milroe to develop. Since drafting Wilson in 2012, Seattle has been one of the NFL’s most stable organizations, making the playoffs nine times in 13 seasons under GM John Schneider, with a Super Bowl title, another NFC Championship, and four NFC West crowns. Even after trading Wilson to the Broncos in March 2022, the Seahawks didn’t miss a beat, posting three straight winning seasons—9-8 in 2022 and 2023, and 10-7 in 2024—thanks to Geno Smith’s steady play. Smith, who threw for 3,624 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2024, kept Seattle in the NFC West race, but at 34, he’s not the long-term answer. The Seahawks’ ability to remain competitive post-Wilson speaks to their organizational strength, from Schneider’s savvy drafting to their coaching hires.
Enter Mike Macdonald, Seattle’s head coach since January 2024, who’s already making waves. Macdonald, the former Ravens defensive coordinator and Michigan’s DC in 2021, spent two years in Baltimore going up against Lamar Jackson in practice every day. He knows what a dual-threat quarterback can do for a team’s ceiling, and Milroe fits that mold perfectly. Seattle’s roster is primed for a player like him: a young offense led by wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who broke out with 1,213 yards in 2024, and a defense that boasts a strong secondary—Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen combined for nine interceptions last year—and a solid pass rush with Leonard Williams and Boye Mafe. The Seahawks are built to compete in the NFC West, where they’ve been a consistent wild-card contender, and Milroe’s playmaking could elevate them further.
The big question is how Milroe fits with Sam Darnold, who the Seahawks signed to a two-year, $24 million deal in March 2025 after a surprisingly strong 2024 with the Vikings. Darnold threw for 3,295 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in Minnesota, benefiting from elite weapons like Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, and Jordan Addison. But Seattle’s receiving corps isn’t as deep—Smith-Njigba is the clear WR1, but DK Metcalf’s production dipped to 788 yards in 2024, and Tyler Lockett, at 32, is more of a complementary piece. Darnold has a ceiling; his career completion percentage (59.7%) and turnover issues (56 interceptions in 73 starts) suggest he’s a bridge quarterback at best. Milroe, on the other hand, has sky-high potential. His ability to create with his legs—those 32 rushing touchdowns over two years at Alabama are no fluke—and his accuracy on deep balls (12.4 yards per attempt on passes 20+ yards downfield in 2024, per Pro Football Focus) could unlock Seattle’s offense in ways Darnold can’t.
I see a path for Milroe to take over as the starter in 2025, similar to what we saw with Drake Maye and the Patriots last year, where Maye sat behind Jacoby Brissett for five games before taking the reins. Darnold might start the season, especially coming out of the preseason, and could hold the job for the first four or five games. But Milroe’s upside will be too hard to ignore. Imagine him on a bootleg, using his 4.52 speed to gash the Rams’ defense for a 30-yard touchdown run, or dropping a dime to Smith-Njigba on a post route against the 49ers’ secondary. His ability to extend plays and make something out of nothing—Alabama had 28 explosive plays of 20+ yards off his scrambles in 2024—fits perfectly with Macdonald’s aggressive, adaptable scheme.
The Seahawks might have gotten a steal in Milroe at No. 93. He’s got the tools, the toughness, and now the right organization to develop him, just as they did with Wilson over a decade ago. If Milroe can harness his dual-threat ability and learn from sitting behind Darnold early on, he’ll be Seattle’s starting quarterback by midseason—and he could raise their ceiling in the NFC West race. The Seahawks are betting on his potential, and I think it’s a bet that’ll pay off big time in 2025.
