Jalen Milroe Shines for Seahawks, Showing How Alabama Prepared Him for the NFL

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Jalen Milroe has always had the physical ability.

Anyone who watched him at Alabama knew that.

The arm strength was there. The speed was there. The athleticism was almost unfair at times. Milroe could turn what looked like a broken play into a 40-yard gain in a matter of seconds.

The question surrounding Milroe as he transitioned to the NFL was never whether he was talented enough.

The question was whether he could continue developing as a quarterback.

Could he become more decisive? Could he process the field quicker? Could he consistently make NFL throws instead of relying primarily on his incredible athletic ability?

Friday night against the Kansas City Chiefs, Milroe gave Seattle Seahawks fans a pretty encouraging answer.

Yes.

Milroe played the entire preseason finale for Seattle and delivered arguably his best performance since entering the NFL, completing 16 of 26 passes for 223 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions while finishing with a 101.9 passer rating. He also added 20 rushing yards on seven attempts.

Those numbers are good. But the numbers aren't necessarily the biggest story.

It was how Milroe played.

Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald praised Milroe for taking care of the football, being decisive and making strong throws downfield. He specifically mentioned Milroe's willingness to trust his reads and deliver the football rather than hesitate.

That is significant.

Because those are exactly the areas Milroe has been working to improve. And if Alabama fans watched Friday night closely, they probably saw something very familiar. They saw an incredibly talented quarterback continuing to grow.

Milroe has never lacked arm talent.

There were several moments against Kansas City where he reminded everyone exactly why NFL scouts were so intrigued by him coming out of Alabama. He connected on a 40-yard completion to Cody White while backed up near his own end zone. He hit tight end Elijah Arroyo for 24 yards and connected with former Alabama receiver Emmanuel Henderson Jr. for gains of 26 and 30 yards.

Those aren't simply checkdowns designed to pad completion percentage. Those are throws. And that has always been the fascinating thing about Milroe.

He possesses physical tools that simply cannot be coached.

You can't teach someone to be that fast. You can't manufacture that kind of arm strength. You can't suddenly turn an average athlete into one of the most dangerous running quarterbacks in football.

What coaches can teach is everything around those gifts.

Footwork. Timing. Reading defenses. Understanding protections. Knowing when to take the underneath completion instead of searching for the home run. Knowing when to stay in the pocket and when to use your legs.

That is where Milroe's development becomes so interesting.

Sometimes I think people underestimate how difficult it is to play quarterback at Alabama.

Yes, Alabama usually has incredible talent surrounding its quarterback.

But there is another side of wearing that crimson jersey.

Expectations. Pressure. Every single week.

You aren't simply expected to win. You are expected to dominate.

Every incomplete pass gets analyzed. Every interception becomes a national conversation. Every loss feels like a crisis.

Milroe experienced all of it. And he survived it. Actually, he did more than survive it.

He helped Alabama win an SEC championship and reach the College Football Playoff. That experience matters now.

NFL football obviously presents an entirely different challenge, but Milroe isn't learning how to handle pressure for the first time.

He played Georgia. He played LSU. He played Tennessee. He played Auburn in the Iron Bowl. He played for championships. He played in the College Football Playoff. He played under Nick Saban and then handled a massive coaching transition when Kalen DeBoer arrived.

There aren't many college football environments that better prepare a quarterback mentally for professional football.

The numbers deserve to be remembered too.

Milroe finished his Alabama career with 6,016 passing yards, 45 passing touchdowns and 20 interceptions while completing 426 of 663 attempts. But passing statistics alone don't really explain what made him special. Milroe also rushed for 1,577 yards and 33 touchdowns during his Alabama career. That gave him 7,593 total yards and 78 total touchdowns.

Think about that. This is Alabama.

The same program that produced Tua Tagovailoa.

Mac Jones.

Bryce Young.

Jalen Hurts.

And countless other incredible offensive players.

Milroe left his own mark. His breakout came during the 2023 season. And it wasn't exactly an easy road.

Remember what happened early that year. Alabama lost to Texas. Milroe was benched the following week against South Florida. There were serious questions about whether he would even remain Alabama's starting quarterback.

Then something changed. Milroe responded.

He regained the job and helped Alabama go on one of the most memorable runs of the latter portion of Nick Saban's career. Milroe finished 2023 completing 65.8 percent of his passes for 2,834 yards, 23 touchdowns and only six interceptions.

He averaged an incredible 10 yards per passing attempt. He also ran for 531 yards and 12 touchdowns. That is 35 total touchdowns.

He finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting. But statistics still don't fully capture that season. Milroe led Alabama to an SEC Championship victory over Georgia, ending the Bulldogs' long winning streak and helping Alabama reach the College Football Playoff.

And of course, there was the play Alabama fans will probably associate with Milroe forever.

Fourth-and-31.

Auburn.

Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The play that became known as the "Gravedigger."

That moment told you a lot about Jalen Milroe. The situation looked impossible. He still believed. That mentality is something he can carry with him throughout his NFL career.

The 2024 season wasn't perfect. Alabama went through growing pains under a new coaching staff, and Milroe had his own ups and downs. But he still produced.

Milroe threw for 2,844 yards and 16 touchdowns while completing 64.3 percent of his passes. Then there was his rushing production. He ran for 726 yards and an astonishing 20 touchdowns. Twenty rushing touchdowns. From a quarterback. He finished the season responsible for 36 total touchdowns.

Those numbers demonstrate why NFL teams were willing to be patient with his development. The upside is enormous.

Seattle didn't need Milroe to immediately become the face of the franchise.

He could learn. Develop. Study. Adjust to NFL defenses. And most importantly, learn how to play quarterback at the professional level without being forced into action before he was ready.

Now, we are starting to see that developmental process taking shape. That might be the most encouraging thing Seattle fans could see.

Because Milroe already possesses everything you can't teach. Now he is improving the things you can.

This is where I think his Alabama experience really matters. Alabama taught Milroe how to respond when things go badly. That might eventually be one of his greatest strengths.

He was benched. He was criticized. He had bad games. He lost games Alabama wasn't supposed to lose. He faced enormous pressure. And he continued working.

People sometimes act as if development is supposed to happen in a straight line. It doesn't. Especially at quarterback.

Some players take longer. Some struggle before everything clicks. Milroe's entire career has been about development.

Friday night looked like another step. He wasn't simply running around making athletic plays. He was playing quarterback. He was working through reads. He was making throws down the field. He was taking care of the football. And when the opportunity to run presented itself, he still had one of the most dangerous weapons in football waiting in his back pocket. His legs. That's what makes Jalen Milroe so intriguing.

The ceiling is still incredibly high. Nobody knows exactly what Milroe's NFL career will become. One good preseason game doesn't guarantee anything. But development matters. Progress matters. And what Seattle saw against Kansas City was progress.

Milroe completed 16 passes. He threw for 223 yards. He threw a touchdown. He didn't turn the football over. He made big throws downfield. And he gave Seattle a chance to win the game late.

More importantly, he looked more comfortable doing it. Alabama fans have seen this story before.

We watched a quarterback get knocked down, questioned and criticized before responding. We watched him develop into an SEC champion. We watched him produce more than 7,500 yards of total offense and 78 touchdowns in crimson. Now Seattle is getting the opportunity to continue that development.

Alabama didn't send the Seahawks a finished product. Very few quarterbacks enter the NFL as finished products. What Alabama gave Seattle was something potentially even more valuable.

A quarterback who understands pressure. A quarterback who knows adversity. A quarterback who has played on the biggest stages in college football. A quarterback with elite physical ability who has repeatedly shown a willingness to keep improving.

Friday night was another glimpse of what Jalen Milroe could eventually become. And if the decisiveness and accuracy continue catching up with the athletic ability that made him special at Alabama?

Don't be surprised if the Seahawks eventually have something special on their hands.

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