Before the NFL Draft, coaches and scouts can be susceptible to recency bias. Just listen to what they’re reportedly saying about Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe.
“The eye-opening thing is that several, not one, several coaches and scouts told me … Jalen Milroe is the greatest runner of the football they’ve ever evaluated at the quarterback position, not Lamar Jackson [of the Baltimore Ravens],” NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero said Monday on “Good Morning Football.”
Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry echoed these sentiments in a news conference on April 17.
“[Milroe] has got rare physical talent,” Berry said. “When he gets in the NFL, he may be the only quarterback who’s faster than Lamar. Don’t tell Lamar I said that, please.”
In four seasons with Alabama, Milroe rushed for 1,577 yards and 33 touchdowns on 375 carries. At his pro day in March, the 6-foot-2, 217-pounder clocked an unofficial 4.37 in the 40-yard dash.
But saying he’s a better runner than Jackson seems inaccurate. In three seasons at Louisville, the 2016 Heisman winner ran for 4,132 yards and 50 TDs on 655 carries.
Jackson didn’t run the 40-yard dash at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis or his pro day. However, he reached a top speed of 21.25 mph on a 48-yard TD in a Week 17 win over the Houston Texans in 2024, via Next Gen Stats.
Jackson also seems like a more fluid runner than Milroe. Remember, he hurdled over a defender in a road win over Syracuse during the 2016 season.
It’s easy to understand why scouts and coaches are comparing Milroe to Jackson, considering both are speedy QBs.
Although Milroe may be similar to Jackson, that doesn’t mean he’s the upgraded version of the two-time MVP.
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