The Seattle Seahawks made waves Friday night, grabbing Alabama’s electric QB Jalen Milroe with the No. 92 overall pick in the 3rd round of the 2025 NFL Draft. And while Seahawks fans were still trying to process the pick, one man made his feelings very clear—Nick Saban. The retired Alabama legend was in happy tears, clapping it up live on ABC, visibly proud as his former QB got his NFL shot.

Then came the mic drop: a straight-up glowing endorsement for Milroe, paired with a message to Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald. “He’s gonna give the Seahawks an element of offense that nobody else in this draft can give anybody. This guy is fast. He’s explosive. And look, he can throw the ball. He’s got a strong arm. He’s a great deep-ball thrower…He just needs a little refinement and consistency in the passing game, and he can be an outstanding player.” That’s not Saban hyping his QB—that’s a Hall of Famer putting his stamp on a third-round pick.

Nick Saban doubled down, reminding folks how Milroe matured in Tuscaloosa. “The thing I always preached to him about was, ‘Jalen, you make enough big plays. How about let’s eliminate some of the bad plays? The sacks, the fumbles, the interceptions. Because those are all drive-stopping plays. And you make enough good plays.’” And nobody would know better—Saban coached Milroe through the highs, lows, and that epic LSU game where he rushed for 155 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Look, let’s pull the brakes on glazing. Jalen Milroe might be a good passer QB, but his upside? Hella crazy.

In Milroe’s one full season as Saban’s starter, he made some serious noise, finishing sixth in the Heisman race. The 6’2 QB threw for 2,834 yards, ran for 531 more, and accounted for 35 tuddies with only 6 picks. Oh, and let’s not forget—he led Alabama to an SEC championship and a College Football Playoff spot. Not bad for a first-year starter, right?

But 2024? Yeah, it was a bit of a rollercoaster. Milroe threw for 2,844 yards and ran for 726, totaling 36 touchdowns—but those 11 interceptions? That’s where things got a little bumpy. It didn’t help that Alabama finished with its worst record since 2007, a far cry from the usual Bama heritage. Anyway, let’s not dwell on the past. Outside of that, Jalen Milroe is a stud.

And this isn’t just a feel-good story. It’s a warning: the Seahawks may have just stolen a legit dual-threat QB with a sky-high ceiling. And with Saban backing him this loudly, the NFC better not sleep. Look, Jalen Milroe is the first Alabama quarterback to go outside the first round since A.J. McCarron in 2015. The real story is what’s coming next—and if Saban’s right, Seattle just got a whole new engine for their offense.

Jalen Milroe: Seahawks draft check

Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks are eating good in this draft—they straight-up restocked the arsenal. Already pulled in a gritty O-lineman in Grey Zabel, a ballhawk safety in Nick Emmanwori, and a sneaky weapon at tight end with Elijah Arroyo from Miami. But that Milroe pick? That one’s the curveball.

Because if Klint Kubiak is cooking up something spicy for this offense—and word is he’s ready to bring that Shanahan-style sauce to the PNW—then Milroe might just be his kitchen torch. Think about it: 6’2”, 220, runs like a slot WR, arm like a bazooka (with lock-in option), and can take a busted play 70 yards to the crib. Yes, he’s not polished, no doubt.

Lance Zierlein even kept it a buck—“Milroe is an explosive athlete who is very capable outside the pocket, but he lacks accuracy, touch and decision-making when he’s inside the pocket. A lack of anticipation and timing leads to interceptions and contested throws to intermediate areas of the field. He has an NFL arm, but he might need to fine-tune his footwork and delivery to improve accuracy on all three levels. He can get through his reads when he’s confident and feels protected, but becomes predictable and easier for defenses to manipulate when he’s rattled. He’s built like a WILL linebacker, runs like a receiver, and is a threat to hit the home run on called runs and scrambles. Milroe was a much better deep-ball passer in 2023, but his 2024 regression makes it harder to project success from the pocket at a high enough rate to become a capable NFL starter.” That’s some backhanded compliment, if you ask.

And let’s not act like the QB room isn’t loaded already. Seattle just handed Sam Darnold a fat $100 million bag after he turned into Joe Cool 2.0 in Minnesota last year—35 touchdowns, over 4,300 yards, and he looked like he’d finally figured out how to read a defense without seeing ghosts. Then you got Drew Lock hanging around like that one friend who’s always low-key dangerous when the music gets loud. So Milroe? He’s got to earn every snap. But man, imagine the packages. Wildcat. RPOs. Play-action bootlegs where he just takes off. That’s a nightmare for linebackers.

Right now, the pro comparison for Milroe is Anthony Richardson with slightly better accuracy and run capability. The real question: what if Milroe gets comfy? What if he tightens the mechanics, sharpens the reads, and slows the game down? The man’s ceiling is through the roof — and Seattle’s just stashed him behind a proven vet with zero pressure to rush development.

Bottom line? Macdonald and John Schneider didn’t just draft a quarterback—they drafted chaos with high upside and pretty equal downside. And if they unlock Milroe, the rest of the NFC is going to need a Plan B; if not, pick wasted.