NFL scout compares Alabama QB Jalen Milroe to Colin Kaepernick
The rise of Jalen Milroe has taken Alabama from a team people were concerned about to a serious national championship contender. His performances down the stretch have been incredible, with the latest coming on Saturday against Kentucky. Tommy Rees has found a way to play to Milroe’s strengths, using his legs while also taking multiple shots downfield a game.
No matter how Milroe closes out this season, he is not likely to declare for the NFL Draft. He only has one year of starting experience and this year’s quarterback class is expected to be incredibly loaded. The expectation is that Milroe will return to Tuscaloosa for the 2024 season.
Even so, NFL scouts are beginning to notice his play and are even throwing out comparisons. One recently said Milroe looks like former San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick.
“Kid just keeps getting better and better,” an NFL scout told BR’s Jordan Schultz. “Honestly he kinda reminds me of (Colin) Kaepernick a little bit. Big, athletic, fast, big arm, and big plays.”
Kaepernick played in college football at Nevada and was a second-round pick at No. 36 overall. He began his career behind Alex Smith before taking over in the midst of the 2012 season. Now-Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh was in the Bay Area at the time and went on to have a ton of success with Kaepernick as his quarterback.
The 49ers went to the Super Bowl in 2012 and then lost in the NFC Championship game the following season. In 2013 — which wound up being the first of a great two-year stretch — Kaepernick threw for 3,369 yards, 21 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. On the ground, he rushed for 524 yards and four touchdowns.
Additionally, there will always be a spot in the NFL for true dual-threat quarterbacks if they can excel in both areas. Caleb Williams is likely to be taken with the No. 1 overall pick, while Anthony Richardson was drafted in the top five due to his athleticism and raw ability as a passer.
While those are draft prospects, it’s a proven commodity in the NFL too.
Jalen Hurts was a second-round pick of his own after he developed well during his time at Alabama and then Oklahoma under Lincoln Riley. Philadelphia has emerged as a Super Bowl contender on a yearly basis since Hurts took over as the full-time starter.
Josh Allen‘s size and arm ability make dazzling plays on a weekly basis as well. Buffalo invested a first-round pick in Allen and has been rewarded by making the playoffs in four consecutive seasons — something they had not done since the early 1990s.
That’s not to say Jalen Milroe will turn into any of those guys, it’s just to show his playing style has translated in the NFL as of late. Another year in Tuscaloosa will show NFL scouts what they really have in him before likely declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft.