Quarterback expert says Milroe has not flipped switch as a passer

It’s been quite the roller coaster of a season for the Alabama Crimson Tide as the team now sits at 6-2 headed into the bye week and still with a chance to make the College Football Playoff despite losses to Vanderbilt and Tennessee.

It’s easy to forget now, but on the heels of the victory over Georgia — a game that was the best Jalen Milroe has ever looked in an Alabama uniform — there was noise surrounding whether or not the dynamic dual threat could sneak into the first round of the NFL Draft or even become the No. 1 pick. Since then, it’s been a rough go of it for Milroe, seemingly regressing as a passer and not looking like someone who could ever play in the NFL.

ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky joined the Next Round on Friday and talked about Milroe, saying he has not yet flipped that switch and become an elite passer of the football:

"I think Jalen's an elite runner and his ability to throw gives him the opportunity to be truly special. But the reality is, in the NFL…you've gotta be elite throwing the ball…I don't think Jalen's flipped that just yet." – @danorlovsky7 on Alabama QB Jalen Milroe pic.twitter.com/Nq15O1hNzw

— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) October 31, 2024

“I think Jalen’s an elite runner and his ability to throw gives him the opportunity to be truly special,” Orlovsky said when asked about the passing development of players like C.J. Stroud and Jalen Hurts as it compares to Milroe. “But the reality is, in the NFL…you’ve gotta be elite throwing the ball…I don’t think Jalen’s flipped that just yet. Can he get there? For sure. But I don’t think he’s flipped that just yet.”

Milroe will face one of his biggest tests next week as he tries to keep Alabama’s playoff hopes alive on the road against LSU in what is all of the sudden the biggest game of the season for the Tide.