Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe on the red carpet before the 2025 NFL Draft. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Key Seahawks NFL Draft pick predicted to sit out entire 2025 season

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated May 18, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Before the NFL Draft, most analysts saw Jalen Milroe as a project quarterback, and it's not hard to see why.

Milroe is undenably an incredible athlete, boasting a rocket of an arm and elite rushing ability like very few quarterbacks before him. However, he's still very raw as a passer, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns against SEC opponents last season.

Luckily, Milroe ended up with the Seattle Seahawks, who will be more than comfortable with letting him sit behind veterans Sam Darnold and Drew Lock until he's ready to go.

As a result, Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon believes Milroe won't start his first game for the Seahawks until 2026 at the earliest.

"Seattle is giving handsome bucks to new starter Sam Darnold, and there’s little reason to believe this team won’t be competitive throughout 2024," Gagnon wrote. "On top of that, veteran Drew Lock is there in case of an emergency related to Darnold.

"I do expect the Seahawks to find creative ways to utilize the explosive Milroe in 2025, but it’s extremely unlikely he goes near the QB1 spot barring some major injuries elsewhere on Seattle’s QB depth chart in 2025."

Of course, there's still a chance that Milroe starts for Seattle in 2025. Not only is there the injury scenario, but if the Seahawks end up drastically underperforming, then Mike Macdonald and co. may want to see what they have in the young quarterback.

In an ideal scenario, however, the Seahawks seem more than content to play the long game with Milroe, as they should.

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: