The writing was on the wall, and things have now been made official. Jalen Milroe has played his last-ever snap in college football. December earmarks the divergence of players down their separate ways. Some go to the playoffs, and some go to hit the transfer portal. Jalen Milroe has chosen to traverse the path most treacherous. He’s declared for the NFL Draft. The announcement comes in the aftermath of his final appearance for Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Immediately, discourse around Milroe pivots towards discerning which juncture during April’s Draft will Roger Goodell announce his name. Depending on who you ask, you’ll perhaps hear every single round mentioned as a possibility. A fair few draftniks and analysts believe Jalen Milroe will likely not be a Day 1 pick. Down in the later rounds, a plethora of teams could take a chance on this raw yet athletic specimen.

Jalen Milroe is a bit of an unknown quantity, with only got 2 years atop the depth chart at Bama and 27 total starts. He’s unequivocally a threat with his legs, which ticks one box of ideal attributes required in the modern NFL. His dynamism allows him to rush for first downs on plays that have been rendered almost irredeemable. But his arm is still a work in progress, to put it lightly. The ceiling is high, though, if he’s developed well. There is a rationale that a team could draft him and have him sit initially while he learns the ropes. Similar to what Patrick Mahomes did to the highest accord.

One team that could look into that as a possibility are the Cleveland Browns. They’re in proverbial hell due to their cap situation. QB1 Deshaun Watson has far from reciprocated the value of his contract. It’s difficult to move off him. Hence, the Browns could take a shot at Jalen Milroe and develop him while they sort the rest of the roster out. Chris Trapasso has relayed the Browns as a potential landing spot. However, they’re not the only ones.

A plethora of franchises are bound to pick a QB. Those picking in the lottery are expected to be in the mix for Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward, both of whom are conservatively top 5 picks. There is a tangible trail of thought that suggests that teams that miss out on the pair should forgo drafting a quarterback in the first round entirely. This is where an opportune Jalen Milroe swoops in.

Jalen Milroe could benefit from supply at QB not meeting demand

The issues at certain teams run so deep that they could indulge in some acrobatics. There is a rationale for teams in the lottery to trade back. This would allow them to draft multiple high-caliber picks. Filling out the supporting cast instead of going all-in on the quarterback. Then, draft a QB in the later rounds. A multitude of issues mean spreading your chips around could be a shrewd move.

If Jalen Milroe slides to the 3rd or 4th round, he could be the one they look to pursue this strategy with. A number of teams fall into this category. The NY Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans and the NY Jets, to name a few, all likely need starting quarterbacks. Not everyone will get their franchise QB straightaway, so chancing a low draft pick on Milroe is a calculated risk. Then, “redshirt” him, similar to the aforementioned Mahomes.

This hypothesis, of course, is dependent on the consensus wisdom that Jalen Milroe will indeed slide. However, the draft can throw up surprises. Just this year, the Falcons’ pick of Micheal Penix Jr. is a proponent of this. This QB class isn’t as top-heavy as last year, which saw the most QBs picked in the first round ever. But it’s still deep and has a couple of unpolished gems if you look close enough. Jalen Milroe seemingly falls in line with that. He’ll seek to leave a mark at the Draft Combine in a couple of months’ time.