The Seattle Seahawks turned some heads by drafting Alabama QB Jalen Milroe on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft after signing Sam Darnold to a six-figure contract earlier this offseason.
Yet, one NFL writer is predicting for the rookie quarterback to make an instant impact on the field for the Seahawks in 2025.
Jalen Milroe Predicted to Score Three Rushing Touchdowns in 2025
On the surface, a player scoring three rushing touchdowns may not sound like a bold prediction. Yet, when that player is a rookie signal caller who was drafted outside of the first round just months after the Seahawks signed a veteran signal caller to a multi-year deal on the open market… it feels worthy of the ‘bold prediction’ tag.
Well, Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated is the one calling his shot about Milroe seeing the field enough in 2025 to score multiple rushing touchdowns his rookie year.
“Jalen Milroe will score at least three rushing touchdowns,” wrote Orr in his ‘100 Bold Predictions for the 2025 NFL Season’ article on Wednesday.
Outside of injuries pushing quarterbacks into extended playing time, it is not common for backup quarterbacks to have a consistent rushing role with a team at the NFL level.
Sure, some could point to a player like Taysom Hill from the New Orleans Saints who occasionally gets a package of plays as a wildcat quarterback to carry the ball in short yardage or red zone situations — but it is far from the norm across the league.
Orr added, “Add this to a long line of doomed Conor Orr bold predictions. Every year, I become obsessed with the idea of a quarterback whose primary weapon is his running ability becoming an ingrained part of a team’s offense and taking over a noticeably significant part of the game plan. I said this last year with Justin Fields and believe, in years past, I have advocated for a real two-quarterback system. However, I think Milroe was drafted highly enough to be worthy of immediate integration into the Seahawks’ game plan. He can take a lot of pressure off Sam Darnold, who will be heavily zero-blitzed after everyone saw Minnesota’s struggles to protect him in the playoffs.”
Does Milroe Have a Shot to Push Sam Darnold for the Starting Role in 2025?
The answer to this question is most likely no, but Orr appropriately mentioned Darnold’s rough finish to his career year last season where he looked like a different quarterback when under pressure.
Darnold’s struggles under pressure date all the way back to when he entered the league back in 2018.
If the Seahawks get off to a slow start and Darnold reverts back to his pre-Vikings form behind an offensive line that is a work in progress, there is a path to Milroe potentially getting a look by this coaching staff that invested Day 2 NFL Draft capital to bring him on board.
Milroe has dynamic dual threat upside after rushing for an absurd 20 touchdowns his final season at the University of Alabama, but has been inconsistent as a passer throughout his collegiate career.
Milroe will enter his rookie year as a developmental prospect, but could be tough to keep on the sidelines for entire year if Darnold struggles through the first half of the 2025 NFL season.
