With the 2024 NFL Draft fast approaching, Jalen Milroe has emerged as one of the top quarterback prospects among 65 graded players. Yet even his performance statistics show both strengths and weaknesses that could impact his selection. With a Total QBR rank of 21st (69.8) and a higher position at 13th (74.5) in another assessment, Milroe’s college career has shown flashes of excellence but areas requiring improvement.
Milroe’s progression was helped by a breakout senior year under the tutelage of coach Riley, which proved to be the key factor in his development. Over that entire 2023-24 season, he racked up 25 total starts, finishing with 628 completions on 939 attempts for 8,048 yards. His impressive 67% completion rate placed him ninth among his peers, while he ranked second in yards per completion with an average of 15.0 yards. Even those who appreciate Milroe’s accomplishments advocate for him to spend at least one year as an apprentice. That experience is crucial to have before he can be completely trusted at the pro level.
His raw statistics underscore his potential. Milroe went on to throw 64 touchdowns to 14 interceptions, producing a 6% sack rate and a 49% success rate. Further, he proved his mobility by racking up 120 non-sack rushes for 739 yards and 12 scores. It was his red zone accuracy that was the biggest red flag. He averaged only 0.0 ypc on non-sack carries and 3.3 yards per dropback, ranking him 46th in effective play in that deadly important area.
Milroe’s hand size, reported at 9¼ inches, is considered small by NFL standards and may affect his grip and throwing ability under pressure. What he showed us was elite accuracy on downfield throws and a quarterback with multiple ways to win. When throwing beyond 20 yards, he finished ninth in completion rate (43%) and fifth in yards per attempt (15.8).
Even with all of those accomplishments included, Milroe has just one elite season to his credit in college football, begging the question of his consistency. Though he won a national title with Ohio State, he averaged a paltry 28.3 dropbacks per start in that championship season. His collegiate career was much more truncated than the current wave of best QB prospects such as Caleb Williams. This discrepancy could affect how teams evaluate his transition to the next level.
Since then, experts have gone back and forth with pessimism and optimism on Milroe’s outlook. Ben Solak noted the importance of film analysis in assessing players like Milroe and highlighted the necessity of considering injury history and overall play quality when evaluating quarterbacks.
“Shough has a big body and a legit NFL arm with great downfield touch… the quality of play is good enough that he’ll be a starter available for a discount contract.” – Ben Solak
With the NFL Draft on the immediate horizon, Milroe is still an interesting prospect to consider. His unique blend of talent and experience, along with clear areas for improvement, will determine how the best organizations in the NFL look at him in the future.
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