Jalen Milroe Details His Mental Approach Of Entering NFL As A Potential Backup Quarterback

Jalen Milroe is one of the more intriguing prospects entering the 2025 NFL Draft.

Milroe isn’t one of the top two quarterback prospects in this year’s draft as that distinction belongs to Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, both of whom are expected to be selected within the first top 10 picks in the draft.

However, Milroe is considered to be the third-best quarterback prospect by many and there’s little doubt he has skills that can make him a franchise quarterback in the NFL. During his two-year career as a starter at Alabama, Milroe led the storied program to a College Football Playoff appearance and he posted 36 total touchdowns (20 rushing) during his final season with the Crimson Tide.

There are still major areas where he needs to improve, with his intermediate throwing considered an area that needs to be fine tuned. However, Milroe is generating plenty of interest entering the draft, with the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants among the teams showing interest in the 22-year-old quarterback.

“It’s not one team that I can definitely say is like I want to go there or anything,” says Milroe in a one-on-one interview. “It’s just more than one team that’s all invested in me and my whole objective.

“Through this process, I’m pouring everything into the organization, no matter where it is, when it is, this opportunity to be an NFL quarterback, be able to step foot and lead a group and understand my niche,” Milroe continues to say. “Year one is important to me.”

Milroe may only be 22 years old, but he’s far mature beyond his years. A lot of that has to do with his military upbringing, with both of his parents having served in the armed forces. Milroe’s father was in the Marines and served in the Iraq war in the early 2000’s, while his mother was a Navy Corpsmen.

The terms that Milroe likes to preach are straight out of the military: adaptability, teamwork and discipline.

Those are traits that are going to carry Milroe far in the NFL as he’ll likely enter his rookie year as a clear backup quarterback to a team that already has a veteran in place as the starter. The Seahawks currently have Sam Darnold, the Rams have Matthew Stafford and the Giants have Russell Wilson.

Jalen Milroe On His Approach To Entering NFL As Backup Quarterback

While there’s a chance Milroe could slip into Round 1 — he was one of the 17 prospects invited to Green Bay for the draft despite not being a projected first-round pick — he makes it clear he has zero issue with playing the backup role and learning from an experienced quarterback during his rookie year if that’s the situation he enters in.

It’s worth mentioning that Milroe has experience in that situation, serving as the Crimson Tide’s backup quarterback behind eventual No. 1 overall pick, Bryce Young.

“Yeah, for sure,” says Milroe. “I had a personal experience doing it early on coming into college with Bryce being a starter, and the biggest objective for any player coming in is to have a growth mindset and not a fixed mindset. Each day you’re trying to improve and gain the trust of the guys in the locker room, as well as the coaching staff. You do that with your preparation.”

Milroe preaches utilizing the same mindset he had at Alabama as he starts his pro career in the NFL.

“I’m going to continue to have the same habits that allowed me to be successful when it was my time, opportunity to lead a group while I was Alabama and apply to the NFL,” says Milroe. “Nothing new. Who you are, you reap what you sow. The amount of preparation that you have, the amount of care, the love that you have for the game, that’s going to be a factor into the development phase of any player to start year one.”

It’s clear when you speak to the young quarterback that he’s a natural leader that takes accountability and teamwork very seriously. That determined mindset is also why he points to how the two starting quarterbacks in this past year’s Super Bowl, Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes, were guys who didn’t start right away.

“The quarterbacks that were in the Super Bowl this past season, didn’t play right away going into the NFL,” says Milroek. “There’s a unique recipe that’s cooked up in the NFL with not playing right away. I’m fine with that. I just know that whenever my opportunity presents itself, I want to seize that opportunity. I’m not really worried about when.”

Jalen Milroe Details USAA Experience While Visiting Service Members

While it remains to be seen where Milroe will begin his pro career, he’s partnering up with USAA entering the 2025 NFL Draft. It’s a natural fit considering the deep military background within his family, but Milroe details how cool it was to meet service members at General Mitchell Air National Guard Base in Milwaukee.

Milroe took pictures and signed autographs for service members alongside fellow 2025 NFL draft prospect Ashton Jeanty. Both Milroe and Jeanty attended with each of their fathers, with Jeanty’s dad having served in the Navy.

“I was able to have a first-hand experience of going to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and getting a first-hand experience of what their day is like,” says Milroe. “I was able to go through simulators. I was able to meet the on campus service members. I brought my dad, Ashton brought his dad, and we were able to hear their stories of why they joined the military, our process of being athletes, and also the process of serving our respects to them and understanding how much they pour into our country.”

The 22-year-old explains why his military family background has played a major role in shaping him as not only a person, but the quarterback and leader that he is today.

“They learned so many qualities that correlated to who I am as a person,” says Milroe. “Number one, adaptability, staying calm, under pressure, teamwork, discipline. Just those certain qualities I was able to take from their journey of being in the military. Those are the things that I take with me, especially as a quarterback.

“It’s so important,” Milroe continues to say. “And discipline — especially staying calm under pressure, playing at the QB position and the teamwork phase of working with a group, working with 10 other guys. We’re on the same mission to complete that task.”