Jalen Milroe sat in the green room last night during the 1st Round of the NFL Draft and didn't hear his name called. He lived vicariously through Alabama teammates Tyler Booker and Jihaad Campbell, who both saw their dreams realized.
On Friday, the 2nd day of the NFL Draft will take place, with rounds two and three commencing. Milroe will hear his name called sometime on Friday, though where is still a mystery.
Only two QBs were drafted in the 1st Round on Thursday night. The Titans took Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick, and then the Giants traded back into the 1st Round and took Jaxson Dart. Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, Louisville's Tyler Shough, and Ohio State's Will Howard, along with Milroe, will hope to hear their names called during round two.
There are plenty of QB-needy teams out there who will feel more comfortable using a 2nd rounder on Milroe or one of the others than they did using a premium 1st Round pick on a QB with flaws.
Let's take a look at the three best landing spots for Milroe on day two of the NFL Draft:
These three teams make the most sense for Jalen Milroe on day two of the NFL Draft
3. New Orleans Saints
The Saints have an obvious need at QB, even though they used a mid-round pick on Spencer Rattler a year ago. Derek Carr's tenure in New Orleans has been a disaster, and his days appear numbered there.
The Saints drafted Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr. with their 1st Round pick, and they could look for their signal-caller of the future in the 2nd Round. New Orleans has the 40th overall pick. They would pick again at pick No. 71 in the 3rd Round, but it's unlikely Milroe will drop that far.
2. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams figure to be an ideal situation for Milroe. With Matthew Stafford still having a little gas in the tank, there would be zero pressure on Milroe to play this season or maybe even next. He could sit back and learn from a veteran who has been there, done that.
It would also pair him with one of the most creative offensive minds in football in Sean McVay. Think McVay could find a way to utilize Milroe's talents early on without having him be the team's starting QB?
1. Cleveland Browns
The Browns, to me, have always felt like the most realistic landing spot for Milroe. They promoted Tommy Rees to OC this offseason. Rees had tremendous success calling plays for Milroe at Alabama during the 2023 season as the Crimson Tide went 12-2 and won the SEC Championship.
Cleveland has an obvious need at QB with DeShaun Watson's career looking over with the Browns. They added Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett this offseason, but neither of them is a long-term solution at the position.
The Browns taking a QB in the 2nd Round became more likely with their trade on Thursday. Cleveland traded back from No. 2 to No. 5 with the Jaguars and added extra draft capital. Cleveland now holds two of the first four picks on Friday night. They also have two third rounders as well as an extra 1st rounder next year.
If any team was going to take a swing on Milroe, the Browns make the most sense. They can take a plug-and-play kind of player with one of their early 2nd Round picks and then take a swing on Milroe with the other. If he's a total bust, no-harm, no-foul after the trade with Jacksonville.