Jalen Milroe 40 time shouldn’t give Steelers, Browns any big ideas about QB future

Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe is one of the most perplexing prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better athlete at the position in this class and few who are more impressive than him overall. At the same time, he's a quarterback — and there are many aspects regarding his throwing ability that have raised questions about Milroe.

I've maintained for some time that Milroe would've greatly benefitted from another year in college, be that at Alabama or another destination via the transfer portal, rather than entering the 2025 draft. However, those concerns from me and many others haven't stopped teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers from expressing what appears to be serious interest and fans of teams like the Cleveland Browns from taking Milroe under consideration, likely as a Day 2 pick.

On Wednesday after reportedly having a meeting with those Steelers on Tuesday night, though, Milroe worked out at his pro day after electing not to do so at the NFL Combine in late-February/early-March. And he turned some heads.

Jalen Milroe 40 time: What Alabama QB ran at his pro day

Jalen Milroe ran an unofficial 4.37 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the Alabama pro day on Tuesday, a truly blistering time. For reference, that would've put him as the 12th-fastest time at the NFL Combine among all players who worked out in Indianapolis (and by far the fastest QB time). The Crimson Tide posted a video of his eye-popping run as well.

Taking 40 times at pro days with a massive grain of salt is par for the course during draft season. Having said that, even if Milroe is just in the ballpark of a 4.37-second time, that's something that simply can't be overlooked.

And yet, it's also something that shouldn't change a thing for any team, the Steelers, the Browns or otherwise.

Why Jalen Milroe's 40 time shouldn't change a thing in the 2025 NFL Draft

Not to oversimplify things, but no team should be surprised by this. Yes, it's an unbelievably impressive 40 time for a quarterback. It's also the superpower that we already knew Milroe had. He's exceptional as a runner and was oftentimes the best athlete on the field in college, which led to dynamic runs for big gains.

That's going to be an asset projected to the NFL. What a 4.37-second 40 isn't going to do is hit a receiver in stride over the middle of the field. It's not going to float a touch pass over a defender in the intermediate areas. It's not going to make the lay-ups look like lay-ups. All of those are the areas wherein there should be concerns with the Alabama prospect moving to the pro level.

To be clear, I'm not saying that Milroe is undraftable. He is, however, an undeniable project. He's someone that shouldn't be drafted in the first round and potentially even the second round. Milroe needs time to become a more nuanced passer to be a successful NFL quarterback. Drafting him earlier than that would incur an unnecessary and potentially catastrophic risk for the team involved.

Milroe can absolutely fly. There's just a whole lot more to playing quarterback than that.