If you thought Jalen Milroe was just going to roll over and take the heat, think again. The man’s been catching strays left and right about his arm talent, but Friday night? He flipped the script. Seattle snatched him up with the No. 92 pick in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Was it a shock? Kind of. Folks have been side-eyeing his passing since his ‘Bama days, but here we are. Milroe had some receipts to pull and a few shots to fire, too. And while the haters barked about his “pure passer” status, Alabama’s head coach, Kalen DeBoer, had his own mess to clean up after wild rumors hit the streets about a mass WR exodus. Yeah, things got spicy real quick.

Let’s talk about it—because Jalen Milroe definitely did.

When Jalen hopped on Softy & Dickey’s interviews, Softy didn’t sugarcoat it. Softy came straight for the jugular: “Jalen, look, man, I’ll be totally honest with you because I want our relationship to be one of honesty, all right. I don’t want to hide anything from you. If I got something critical to say about you, I want you to hear it from me, all right, and not from somebody else or some idiot on the internet. What I’ve said on the air about is that I need to see more of you as a passer before I believe that you can survive in the National Football League….But I need to see more of you as a passer at this level. The criticism that you get from people and that observation that people make, does that land as a fair criticisms, or is that unfair in your opinion?” Fair, good question. You could almost hear the eyebrows raise through the radio.

Instead of folding, Milroe stood ten toes down on the unfair critics: “Honestly, that goes for any quarterback,” he shrugged. “You always got to improve. So I’m not necessarily, you know, motivated or worried about outside noise. I know it makes me unique. I do know that of the quarterbacks of this past draft, I was the winningest quarterback in the draft. So and it comes from off every phase on the football fields.” The man low-key brought the ‘winningest’ card into the argument. Anyway, facts are facts—you don’t have to like them.

Now, to keep it a buck, nobody’s arguing Milroe’s legs. The former Bama QB runs like a linebacker with a jetpack. It’s that rocket arm that’s been under the microscope. When Milroe drops back, the ball comes off his hand hotter than a skillet in July. But watch closer, and you’ll catch the sloppiness—the long windup, the delayed releases, the “oh no” balls that float just a little too long. It’s like he’s throwing grenades instead of bullets at wideouts. Especially in that disaster against Oklahoma? He threw three picks (pick-six included) and practically handed ‘Bama their pink slip out of playoff contention. That 24-3 L had Tuscaloosa ready to riot.

But Jalen wasn’t here to relive old nightmares. “I’m not necessarily, you know, motivated or worried about outside noise.” And doubles down with a finisher. “I’m not really necessarily focus on your comment.” He told Softy, cool as a cucumber. And the truth is, Milroe’s got a point. Development isn’t linear. Look at Lamar Jackson. The 2-time MVP was all legs once upon a time too. Now he’s torching DBs like they stole his contract money. Now it’s Milroe’s turn in the lab.

Let’s keep it real though—Milroe isn’t completely raw. You give him a clean pocket and a streaking wideout, and he’ll drop that pill like FedEx. His deep ball got that “oooooh” factor. But what about hitting a slant in stride on 3rd-and-4? That’s where scouts flinched. His footwork is still dancing salsa when it should be ballet. His release? More baseball pitcher than quick-trigger QB. That long-loop motion gives DBs time to crash passing lanes. And don’t even get started on his one-read tunnel vision. Milroe’s got to learn to cook with a full menu, not just microwave one option.

Kalen DeBoer keeps it real about ‘far-fetched’ Jalen Milroe rumors

Let’s rewind for a sec. Before the draft, Milroe had Bama fans stressed. And not just because of his picks. A rumor popped off like wildfire. An anonymous AFC coordinator, per Tom Pelissero, claimed his leaving prevented a transfer portal exodus, saying, “He’s got a fastball that’s not very accurate. He doesn’t know when to take it off the ball. We heard out of Alabama all the skill [players] would’ve transferred if he came back. He wants to be known as a pocket quarterback and your best skill is you’re frickin’ fast.” Sounds dramatic, right? Kalen DeBoer thought so too.

“I think the word ‘all’ was used,” he told 93.3 KJR after Milroe got drafted. “Whenever absolutes are used like that, I kinda question it. The words ‘never’ and ‘always’ and ‘all’—that’s a little far-fetched. I don’t think we would have lost all of our receivers for anything,” DeBoer said.

Here’s the scoop. Bama did lose six wideouts to the portal after the season. But none of them were shaking up the depth chart. The starters? Still locked in. Ryan Williams is still rocking that jersey. Germie Bernard too. So nah, the room isn’t empty. The Tide just cleaned out the bench, not the whole building. DeBoer stepped into a war zone when he took over for Nick Saban. Imagine following a seven-ring legend with boosters breathing down your neck after every incomplete pass. And Milroe? He stayed loyal. Came back after Saban dipped. Took down Georgia. But then the wheels fell off. Vanderbilt. Tennessee. Oklahoma. Michigan. 4 Ls that had Tuscaloosa in therapy. And guess what? Milroe’s passing woes were front and center in all that.

He ended his Bama career with a career-high 11 picks and a shaky 148.8 rating. Not ideal. But DeBoer isn’t throwing shade. He knows Milroe brought wins and juice to the offense, even if the spiral didn’t always spin perfectly. And now that Milroe’s out? DeBoer’s got a QB room trying to find its alpha. Ty Simpson got the lead, but Austin Mack and Keelon Russell are lurking.

The real tea? DeBoer isn’t sweating the past. He isn’t buying the narrative that Milroe divided the locker room or forced kids to pack up. That was clickbait. He’s focused on 2025. First stop? Florida State. And he’s walking in with his best wideouts still strapped and a chip on his shoulder.