The Seattle Seahawks finally did it. They drafted a quarterback. With their third and final pick of Day 2 of the NFL Draft, Seattle took a chance on the athletic quarterback out of Alabama, Jalen Milroe. The pick comes after Seattle traded up in the second round to select safety Nick Emmanwori with the 35th pick and used their original 50th pick to select tight end Elijah Arroyo.
Milroe, who is a former National Champion with the Alabama Crimson Tide, is widely considered a project quarterback with an exciting ceiling. The two-year starter had a big arm and could make any throw on the field, but struggled with consistently finding the hands of his targets.
After a solid 2023 season, Milroe decided to take more chances in 2024, resulting in a mediocre 16-11 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Interestingly enough, Milroe is only the fourth quarterback selected through 92 picks thus far, including over Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Should Sam Darnold be worried about his Seahawks future after team drafts Jalen Milroe?
This pick is telling for several reasons. Firstly, this is not good news for players like Sam Howell and the newly acquired Drew Lock. The front office and coaching staff do not feel too highly of Howell, only a year after acquiring him via trade in 2024.
Howell has only played a handful of snaps in Seattle and has looked underwhelming at best. Lock, making his second stint in Seattle, can't be thrilled about the selection either.
However, the quarterback who is least happy about Seattle drafting Milroe is Sam Darnold, who just signed a three-year deal with Seattle last month. Unfortunately for Darnold, the contract is constructed in a way that gives Seattle an easy out after only two years. And it looks like that may be the plan for the Seahawks.
Perhaps they'll let Darnold play for two years and let Milroe develop under him before he eventually becomes the incumbent starter. If Milroe isn't ready after two years, Seattle could keep Darnold for the whole three-year deal as Milroe prepares to become the long-term starter.
If this sounds familiar, it's because it's nearly exactly what the Atlanta Falcons did last season. They signed quarterback Kirk Cousins to a long-term, lucrative contract only to draft Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix in the first round. However, Penix ended up taking the starting role late in his rookie season -- something that Jalen Milroe likely will not accomplish in 2025.
