The proverbial book on Alabama QB1 Jalen Milroe’s college career is reportedly nearing its epilogue. It was more of a short story than a novel. He’s likely going to suit up in crimson red one last time at the ReliaQuest Bowl. The discourse pertaining to him has now pivoted towards April’s NFL draft board. Milroe is projected to be a Day 1 pick. However, the exact number where Roger Goodell will take his name is far from conspicuous. One draftnik has leveraged his insight. Safe to say he’s swimming upstream with this one, opposite to conventional wisdom.

Jalen Milroe is a bit of an unknown quantity by all accords. He’s only got 2 years atop the depth chart at Bama and has 26 total starts. His best attribute is that he’s a dual threat. The guy can rush for a first down; that’s unequivocally true. But his arm is still a work in progress, to put it lightly. The ceiling is high though, if he’s developed profoundly. Chris Trapasso thinks that in a hypothetical world where a $5.14 billion worth NFL franchise is picking 5th, they’ll roll the dice on Milroe.

Trapasso shared his extensive mock draft on CBS Sports’ HQ Spotlight. He believes Cam Ward will be the no.1 pick for the Giants as per how the pecking order currently stands. The 2nd QB picked? Jalen Milroe, rather sensationally, ahead of Shedeur Sanders. “With Jalen Milroe, we know this is a raw specimen. I think he’s going to test through the roof at the combine. He’s going to be one of those long term projects that has a lot of upside,” said Chris Trapasso. He proceeded to explain why he’s got Milroe ahead of Sanders, owing to a huge elephant in the room that Cleveland Browns fans wish they could evade.

“[Cleveland] doesn’t necessarily have to play [Milroe] as a rookie…[if] they pick Sanders, then you suddenly have kind of an awkward situation. With Sanders being NFL ready, [and] Deshaun Watson still on this roster,” said Trapasso. Watson’s contract has a huge cap hit on the Browns for the foreseeable, and he’s not reciprocated any value whatsoever. One facet that Trapasso mentioned as a means to get around this “awkward situation” is particularly fascinating.

It even applies to Jalen Milroe outside of this Cleveland hypothetical. “I think the Browns would almost be making this selection [and] giving him that Patrick Mahomes redshirt season,” he said.

It’s easy to forget that Mahomes was a backup through his first year in the league. When he stepped into the starting role under center, he was elite from the jump. This was because he had a grace period to hone his skills and adapt to the NFL. However, the translation of circumstances between Milroe and Mahomes is far from linear. There is a lot of nuance, which suggests Chris Trapasso’s Patrick Mahomes comparison is a fallacy.

Mahomes’ NFL beginnings are not translative to Jalen Milroe, owing to 2 main factors

You are a product of your environment. As labored as this cliche sounds, it rings true nonetheless. Especially for quarterbacks, let alone ones stepping in from college as raw and malleable. The environment that Jalen Milroe will walk into at Cleveland is a far cry from what Mahomes walked into at Kansas City. This isn’t even because of geography, the front office, or expectations. This notion is based on the other beings that exist within the respective habitats.

Mahomes walked into a program with Andy Reid at the helm. He deputized and learned the ropes behind Alex Smith, a former no.1 overall pick and 3x Pro Bowler. These two were huge factors in why Mahomes hit the ground running when he became a starter. Cleveland, on the other hand, doesn’t quite have one of the greatest offensive minds as their HC. Nor do they have a consistent veteran who can permeate his acumen and experience into Jalen Milroe.

Drafting a QB for them to “redshirt” is a recipe that has worked. However, it isn’t fool-proof. Mahomes will always remain an outlier. The circumstances he walked into were so great, that it gave him the platform to become one with them. Jalen Milroe will hope that wherever he lands, he’s surrounded by an environment conducive to growth. For now, he’ll hope to win Alabama the ReliaQuest Bowl against Michigan. With how the two programs have tussled in the transfer portal, they’ll want him to bring his A-game on New Year’s Eve down in Tampa.