Nick Saban is no stranger to draft day wins, leading with a whopping 44 first-round picks himself. Even though Bama missed out on the big trophies this past year, Coach Kalen DeBoer is just kicking off his own story at Tuscaloosa. It all started with Tyler Booker and Jihaad Campbell going in the first round, but it wasn’t just talent shining through. The leadership within the team was clear too, especially with former Bama captain Jalen Milroe’s strong bond with Booker on draft day. Despite their NFL paths going different ways, these Bama stars shared a real moment. While his own future was up in the air, Milroe surprisingly put the focus on Booker, giving him a big, happy hug. It wasn’t just a congrats; it showed how tight that Alabama team was.

We all know Jalen Milroe probably wanted to be a first-round pick badly, but Thursday night didn’t pan out how he hoped. He was looking sharp in his decked-out outfit, but while Milroe was in the green room, the Chiefs snagged Josh Simmons with the very last pick of the first round. Sure, it wasn’t his night, but he made sure his teammate, Bama’s offensive lineman Tyler Booker, who went 12th overall to the Dallas Cowboys, knew he was happy for him. Jalen was right there with the tight hugs and a huge smile as Tyler left the room.

The cool thing? Jalen Milroe did all that even after not getting picked on day one. That tells you what kind of guy he is. Even a Bama football writer, Nick Kelly, hopped on X and shared a shot of their bromance with a caption saying, “‘Jalen Milroe celebrates with Tyler Booker as Kalen DeBoer looks on in the background.'” It’s no wonder Milroe’s not just a great player but a great person too. And it wasn’t just a big deal for Tyler Booker but for the whole team.

The Dallas Cowboys kept Alabama’s crazy first-round streak going by picking Tyler Booker at number twelve. That’s seventeen straight years with at least one Crimson Tide player going in the first round. Booker was known for being solid, only letting up two sacks in over 2,000 snaps at Alabama—talk about reliable on the line.

Booker’s early pick wasn’t just early; he was the fourth offensive lineman and the first guard picked in the first round since 2022. In Dallas, he’s got some big shoes to fill, expected to take over from veteran Zack Martin, who hung up his cleats back in February.

Now, here’s the interesting part. Word is, Booker is going to sign a four-year rookie deal with a fifth-year option, which is a sweet perk of being a first-rounder. He’s all set for a $22.55 million contract, according to Spotrac. A well-earned chunk of change for a top offensive lineman. But all this Booker talk… where does that leave Jalen Milroe?

Jalen Milroe’s quiet draft Rise: Day 2 watch

Turns out, Jalen Milroe’s draft stock was quietly making moves before the first round. While everyone was focused on quarterbacks like Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, and Jaxson Dart, Milroe was being called a “dark horse” by some coaches, a potential sleeper pick. Some even said his running game was better than a former MVP!

“The eye-opening thing that several, not one, several coaches and scouts told me as I was making calls about all of these quarterbacks is Jalen Milroe is the greatest runner of the football they’ve ever evaluated at the quarterback position,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on Thursday. “Not Lamar Jackson, Jalen Milroe is the best runner they’ve ever seen.”

Despite that hype, most folks still had Jalen Milroe as a second- or third-round pick. But a first-round spot wasn’t totally out of the question if there was a late run on quarterbacks. CBS Sports is now predicting Shedeur and Milroe as the quarterbacks to watch out for on Day 2, now that the first round of 32 picks is done.

Over his four years at Alabama, Jalen Milroe put up some impressive numbers: a 64.3% completion rate, 6,016 passing yards, 45 passing touchdowns, and 20 interceptions, averaging 158.3 passing yards per game. On the ground, he added 1,577 rushing yards and a whopping 33 rushing touchdowns, averaging 41.5 rushing yards per game. Like Thursday night showed, the draft can have surprises, and with those stats, Milroe could definitely be the next one. Day 2 is on deck…