There are confidence plays, and then there are moments like the one draft prospect Jalen Milroe just had.
Just days before the NFL Draft, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe gave us the latter. Appearing on the Up & Adams show with Kay Adams , the dual-threat QB was asked if he’s faster than Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. His response?
“Accurate,” Milroe said with a confirmation nod. Then he repeated it, for emphasis.
Jalen Milroe DID NOT hesitate when saying he’s faster than Lamar Jackson. @heykayadams | @JalenMilroe pic.twitter.com/W2sBCLLOJM
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) April 22, 2025
Now, it’s not a crime for a quarterback to believe in himself. It’s draft week. Everyone’s the next somebody. But going out of your way to stake your name to that claim? Against Lamar Jackson? That’s a 40-yard dash into danger territory.
This came on the heels of multiple draft analysts already dropping wild takes. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network lit the fuse earlier this week when he said multiple coaches and scouts told him Milroe was “the greatest runner of the football they’ve ever evaluated at the QB position—not Lamar Jackson—Jalen Milroe.”
That’s where we’re at now. The guy who just became the NFL’s all-time leading rusher at quarterback, who’s won two MVPs, and who can turn any broken-down play into something electric—we’re replacing him before Milroe takes his first NFL snap?
Gotta get your name out there somehow.
To be fair, Milroe is a legitimate athlete. He clocked a blazing 4.37 at Alabama’s Pro Day, and he ran for 20 rushing touchdowns last season alone. His tools are there. But here’s the thing—tools don’t make you Lamar Jackson. Production, consistency, and actually playing on Sundays do.
Lamar ran for over 6,100 yards in just 103 NFL games, passing Michael Vick’s legendary mark faster than anyone ever thought possible. He’s also the only quarterback in NFL history with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Milroe? He averaged 4.2 yards per carry in college and never broke 800 yards in a single season.
Let’s not forget Jackson also threw for over 4,000 yards last year, while throwing 41 touchdowns to only four interceptions in what will go down as one of the most impressive quarterback seasons of all time. He broke the internet with some of the plays he was able to create out of thin air. All from his legs, while competing against the best athletes in the world. He embarrasses opposing defenses weekly with his quickness and speed. Let's maybe pump the breaks a bit.
This is really nothing more than just a blatant disservice to Lamar to not even step foot on an NFL practice field and start throwing this foolishness around. It's also a massive disservice to himself.
When Milroe says he’s faster, maybe he is in a straight-line sprint—we'll never know. But the NFL isn’t a track meet. It’s survival in utter chaos. But nobody, literally nobody in the history of the league, has ever navigated the chaos like Lamar Jackson. Which is why this is pretty insulting.
Jackson probably doesn't care. He'd probably take the high road and say something along the lines of "he's his own man and we shouldn't be comparing the two anyway." That's what he's done in the past with Commanders QB Jayden Daniels. And he's right. But that doesn't mean nonsense gets to go unchecked at the door.
If the Browns draft him, like many expect (either trade back late on Day 1, or grab him early Day 2), Milroe won’t have to wait long to see just how wide the Lamar gap truly is. He’ll get front-row seats—twice a year.
And if Cleveland lets him learn behind Joe Flacco? That’s poetic. Because we’ve seen that movie before. It starred a rookie sitting behind Flacco… and it ended with Lamar Jackson being the most electric player in the league. Milroe might want to temper expectations a bit before he lives to regret his brash comments.
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The Cleveland Browns are giving Shedeur Sanders special treatment in training camp, but it's not the type of favoritism the fifth-round pick would necessarily want. Per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN, Sanders is the only Browns quarterback who has not been taking reps with the first-team offense during OTAs or the first two practices of training camp. Former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett, veteran Joe Flacco and rookie Dillon Gabriel have all split reps with the first team. Despite being asked to throw passes to members of the equipment staff amid a shortage of professional pass-catchers for a four-quarterback roster, Sanders said he's thankful for the opportunity to show the Browns coaching staff his talents. "I feel like that it's not in my control, so I'm not going to think about that or even have that in my thought process of why it is," Sanders said to a question as to why he's not getting first-team reps. "There's a lot of people who want to have the opportunity to be at this level, and I'm here and I'm thankful to have the opportunity. So, whenever that is, that is." Sanders, 23, believes that he can contribute more to the Browns than what the coaching staff is asking of him. "It doesn't make me feel down or left out because I know who I am as a person," Sanders said. "I know who I am as an individual and I know what I could bring to this team. So, I can never feel less than any circumstance." The Browns selected Sanders with the No. 144 pick in April's draft. As a player whom many draft analysts thought was a first-round talent, Cleveland took what could be the steal of the draft in the fifth round. It's curious why the Browns aren't giving Sanders a shot with the first team early in training camp before the quarterback race becomes more serious. Cleveland should absolutely see what Sanders has to offer this summer. Flacco, 40, isn't a long-term solution at the position. Pickett failed in Pittsburgh. The Browns need to gauge what rookies Gabriel and Sanders can do with the first team. Having Sanders throw balls to the equipment staff is a waste of everyone's time. But then again, Cleveland has wasted plenty of quarterbacks.
The Seattle Mariners made one of the biggest early splashes of the trade deadline season when they acquired first baseman Josh Naylor from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday. Following the news of the Mariners acquiring Naylor, it was reported that the team was still looking to acquire Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez and that the team made Gold Glove utility infielder Dylan Moore available. On the heels of the trade and the various reports and rumors that followed, Seattle made an interesting lineup decision ahead of Game 3 against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday. The Mariners had Naylor in the lineup to face left-handed Angels pitcher Tyler Anderson, his first start against a lefty with his new club. But it was who the M's had slotted in right field that was the most interesting. Seattle had Dominic Canzone playing right field batting eighth. This is a departure from how the Mariners have handled the position against southpaws this season. In previous games against lefties this season, Seattle has had Moore start in right. His recent struggles and the rumor he's on the trade block might mean his time in the starting lineup could be coming to an end. Canzone is slashing .292/.328/.513 with six home runs and 13 RBIs in 37 games this year. Moore is slashing .201/.264/.374 with nine home runs and 19 RBIs in 76 games this season. It's also interesting to see Canzone, a left-handed hitter, get the nod in right field over another lefty, Luke Raley. Raley entered the season as the team's starting first baseman against right-handed pitching, but has played the outfield most of his career and suited up in right field in 26 games this season. Raley is slashing .220/.343/.348 with four home runs and 18 RBIs in 49 games. He spent nearly two months on the injured list from April 30-June 20 with a right oblique strain. Canzone starting Saturday could indicate the team views him in better standing at the moment over Raley and Moore, it could mean the Mariners want to give him an opportunity against left-handed pitching, or it could mean that the team is keeping Raley and Moore out of the lineup while trade conversations are going. Or some combination of all the above.
Austin Hill's controversial move in the closing laps of Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway has already been the topic of much discussion among those in the NASCAR industry. Hill appeared to intentionally wreck Aric Almirola on Lap 91 of the Pennzoil 250 after Almirola had gotten Hill loose in the previous corner during a battle for fourth place. While Hill was given a five-lap penalty for reckless driving, a suspension for the Aug. 2 race at Iowa Speedway could be in order. "I... you can see his gloves through the front windshield... and to be doing that at Indianapolis Motor Speedway of all places, is just not good," said Joseph Srigley of TobyChristie.com. "That should probably be a suspension, at least for next weekend at Iowa, if not longer. Yikes..." "Yeah, that’s probably gonna be a forced vacation for Austin Hill," said Christie. "Pretty egregious looking, and at a track like Indy, that’s a very dangerous move." "Maaaaaan not sure that's gonna hold up in NASCAR Court," said Eric Estepp of "Out of The Groove" in response to Hill's radio transmission. Hill told his team that he couldn't hang on to his car after the aforementioned contact from Almirola, though it appeared that the No. 21 Chevrolet was stable for a brief moment before he made contact with Almirola's No. 19. A suspension for Hill would also relieve the No. 21 team of all its playoff points, including any they might earn over the final five races of the regular season. Hill has won three races so far this season.
Jonathan Kuminga doesn’t have a good relationship with Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, according to NBA insider Sam Amico of Hoops Wire. Kuminga is a restricted free agent. He doesn’t want to return to the Warriors. Kerr benched Kuminga for the final regular-season game of last season versus the Los Angeles Clippers and the play-in game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Kuminga played in Games 2 and 3 of the Warriors-Houston Rockets first-round postseason series, but that was only because Jimmy Butler was injured. Golden State beat Houston in seven games. Kuminga played in every game of the Warriors-Minnesota Timberwolves second-round playoff series, but that was only because Stephen Curry got injured in Game 1 and missed the rest of the series. Golden State lost to Minnesota in five games. The seventh overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Kuminga played in 47 games for the Warriors last season. He averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 45.4% from the field, 30.5% from beyond the arc and 66.8% from the free-throw line. The Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings are interested in Kuminga, who has career averages of 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists. The forward, though, hasn’t gotten an offer sheet from the Suns or Kings. As a restricted free agent, Kuminga has three options: re-sign with the Warriors on a new deal, play next season on his $7.9 million qualifying offer with Golden State and enter unrestricted free agency next offseason or sign an offer sheet with a new team. If Kuminga signs an offer sheet with a new team, the Warriors can either match the offer sheet or let the 2022 NBA champion leave and work on a sign-and-trade deal. “We’re trying to be responsible,” a Warriors front office executive told NBA reporter Keith Smith of Spotrac. “With the aprons and hard caps and all of that, you can’t just throw money around. We still love Jonathan. We’re hopeful we can figure out a way to strike a balance that works for him and for us. “But we’re not going to compromise our roster-building ability now, or in the future. We have to be responsible in the way we build our team.”