2025 NFL Draft: Alabama’s Jalen Milroe says he’ll ‘be ready to go’ if Steelers draft him

There’s a chance that Jalen Milroe will start his NFL career by being teammates with one of his all-time favorite quarterbacks. 

Milroe, the former Alabama standout and one of the top-ranked quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft, was recently asked to name his favorite quarterback, either retired or still active. 

“Aaron Rodgers and Michael Vick,” Milroe, speaking on behalf of USAA, recently said during a one-on-one interview with CBS Sports. 

Many forget, but Vick ended his career with the Steelers, going 2-1 as their starter during the 2015 season. And while he hasn’t signed with them yet, Rodgers reportedly has a contract in place with Pittsburgh, who will surely draft a quarterback next week as they continue to try to find a longterm solution at the position. 

If the Steelers draft him, Milroe would join a team that recently acquired two-time Pro Bowl wideout DK Metcalf. The Steelers also have former 1,000-yard receiver George Pickens, veteran tight end Pat Freiermuth, a young but promising offensive line, and a talented defense, led by perennial Pro Bowlers Cameron Heyward, T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick. 

In addition to drafting a quarterback, the Steelers are also expected to acquire a running back next week that can complement Jaylen Warren. 

“I’ll be ready to go,” Milroe said when asked about the possibility of being drafted by the Steelers, whose brass dined with him the night before Alabama’s Pro Day. “Like you mentioned, the amount of pieces that they have, a head coach that understands the offensive scheme and is defensive-minded. … Also, his winning experience. He’s always had a winning record. 

“That winning edge, winning spirit, the culture as well. There’s definitely a lot of great pieces of being a Steeler. But of course, you know, I can’t choose where I go, but when I did visit with them, they came out impressed, by me as a person, and of course, an athlete and quarterback as well.” 

It’s easy to see why the Steelers would be impressed by Milroe, who said that being raised by two military veterans (his mother Lola and father Quentin served in the Navy and Marine Corps, respectively) has significantly contributed to his success in football. 

“Discipline was a daily thing,” Milroe said of his upbringing. “My dad had structure in everything that we did, from his early mornings to how he led our family. That same mindset helped me develop consistent habits, when it comes to training, studying film, staying prepared … staying calm under pressure. 

“My dad was active duty. He went and fought in the early 2000s. … He had to be cool, calm and collected to lead a group. You know, despite anything, no matter where the game is at, if a pocket collapses, it’s still about staying calm, cool and collective. Adaptability, teamwork, belief, those are some things I’ve learned, but I know there’s so many things I’ve also learned from my parents and their experience of being in the military.” 

After playing behind future No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young for two years, Milroe finally got his chance to lead Alabama’s offense in 2023. That season, Milroe helped lead the Crimson Tide to an SEC title in what was ultimately the final season of Nick Saban’s legendary coaching career. 

In 2024, Milroe took his game to an even higher level. He scored 36 total touchdowns that included a whopping 20 touchdowns on the ground while becoming one of the top dual threat quarterbacks in college football. At times, Milroe actually looked like Vick while leading Alabama’s offense. 

When watching film of Milroe, what really stands out is his versatility and unpredictability. It appeared that, on a play-by-play basis, Milroe adapted his game to what Alabama’s offense needed from him at that point in time. Sometimes, that meant keeping the ball on an RPO. Other times, it meant standing strong in the pocket before delivering a strike downfield. 

That, Milroe feels, is one of his strengths as he prepares to take the next step in his football journey. He also shared another strength of his that will likely pay dividends at the next level.  

“The most important thing that I have is being a problem solver,” he said. “Being cool, calm, collected, being disciplined in my reads, not being one dimensional. Yes, everyone likes to mention my utilization of my legs, but I believe that I just play one step faster than my opponents when it comes to the passing game and the running game. I know that’s a superpower that other people do not have.” 

A student of the game, Milroe loves the process of watching film and getting himself physically and mentally ready to play on a weekly basis. That allows him to be one or two steps ahead of a defender just as much as his physical prowess, if not more.  

When it comes to being mentored by either Rodgers or another accomplished veteran, Milroe alluded to Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, the two starting quarterbacks in this past year’s Super Bowl. 

“Both didn’t play early on, right?” Milroe said. “If you ask both of them about their success and their process and what got them to that level, I bet they’ll say not playing early on and developing as a pro. There’s a lot of things as young player that you don’t know right away.”

While elaborating on that point, Milroe took a line straight out of the Tom Brady playbook. 

When Brady was starting out at Michigan, he complained to someone about the lack of reps he was getting in practice. That person responded by telling Brady that, instead of complaining about his lack of reps, he should focus on making each one as good as he possibly could. That change in mentality helped shape Brady into the iconic player that he ultimately became. 

Milroe already has that mentality. 

“I’m able to have a expectation of myself to have a growth mindset, not a fixed mindset,” he continued. “That’s how I’m coming in. Despite anything, whenever I have a rep, it’s all about maximizing that rep, no matter what it is. If I get all the reps or if I get two reps, any rep that I have is going to be about being the best version of myself. So, I’m not really necessarily looking at where I’m at on the depth chart. I’m just looking at earning the trust of the guys in the locker room and earning the respect of everyone there.” 

Along with riding horses (one of his main hobbies outside of football) and preparing for the draft, Milroe and his father — through the USAA and the NFL’s Salute to Service initiative — recently visited General Mitchell Air National Guard Base to get an up-close look at how the military trains and prepares for their missions. Milroe recently shared a video from his tour that included him piloting a simulation flight. 

“It was like a day in the life experience to see how the military trains,” Milroe said. “I was able to go through the simulators and fly it as if I was flying. … My dad got chills when he was there, because it makes him just think about his journey of being to the military, and now he’s here with his child. Those are experiences that I’m definitely thankful for.”