Why is Jalen Milroe at the NFL Draft? Alabama QB risks long wait in green room during first round

Colin Capece

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Why is Jalen Milroe at the NFL Draft? Alabama QB risks long wait in green room during first round image

Jalen Milroe could be in for a long night at the NFL Draft on Thursday.

The Alabama quarterback will be attending the event in Green Bay in person. A few mock drafts have him going in the first round, but virtually all of the expert mocks have him as a Day 2 pick. That means Milroe could get caught in a place where no prospect wants to be: on camera in the green room as he waits to hear his name called.

There have been some other quarterbacks in past drafts who hoped to be selected earlier but ended up being featured prominently on the broadcast as they dropped down the draft board. Milroe won't necessarily be someone who slides, but because of his name recognition, he could be shown on camera quite a bit.

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Could there be a team that takes a chance on Milroe's unique skillset? Or a team that trades up to get him late in the first round, hoping to develop him into more of a pro-style quarterback? The Alabama product sure hopes he is drafted on Thursday.

Here's what Jalen Milroe risks by going to the NFL Draft in person.

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Why is Jalen Milroe at the NFL Draft?

Milroe will be one of 15 prospects to attend the NFL Draft in person at Lambeau Field. Presumably, he's going because he was invited and wants to. It's all possible that Milroe has received a "first-round promise" from a mystery team, but of the 15 players who will be attending, he is the only one not projected to go in the first round in at least one expert mock draft. 

However, mock drafts can't take into account potential trades, and even though Milroe might not be in line to go in the first round now, it's possible a team trades back up into the end of the first round to snag him.

There are a number of quarterback-needy teams in this draft that could select Milroe, even if he has to wait a little while. The Giants, who have the second pick of the second round and a host of other mid-round picks with which to use as trade bait, have emerged as a potential landing spot. 

“It’s been fun building a relationship with them,” Milroe told SNY on Wednesday. “This is a team I’ve spent a lot of time with and have communicated with. Learning their system, being able to see their plays and see how they run it, it’s been great.”

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More QBs with long draft-day waits in green room

There have been a few other quarterbacks in recent memory who went to the draft in person and were left waiting for an extended period.

In 2023, Will Levis was projected to go near the top of the first round, but he ended up not being selected at all on Day 1. As different names were called, ESPN's cameras repeatedly homed in on Levis and his then-girlfriend in an increasingly emptying green room.

Ten years earlier, Geno Smith was thought of by many experts as a top-five pick, and he was stunned when he wasn't selected in the draft's first hour. Cameras showed the former West Virginia quarterback constantly, as he was clearly battling his emotions. The Jets picked him with the seventh selection of the second round.

Arguably the most famous draft-night slide of all time occurred in 2005 when Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers went from the potential No. 1 overall pick to a late first-round selection. Only six players attended the draft in New York City that year, and once the Cardinals picked cornerback Antrel Rolle with the No. 8 pick, Rodgers was left all by himself in the green room. The camera focused on him after nearly every selection until he was picked by the Packers at No. 24.

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Colin Capece

Colin Capece is an editorial intern for The Sporting News. He previously wrote The Dallas Morning News, USA Today and The Arizona Republic. Colin earned his master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University and loves to talk baseball and basketball.