There’s another incoming running QB you should keep an eye on
Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry has had a front-row seat to one of the best rushing quarterbacks of all time in Lamar Jackson. In his first year as GM, he watched Jackson defeat Cleveland with arguably the best rushing performance of his career, racking up 124 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in a 47-42 victory for the Baltimore Ravens. Still, Berry says there may be a new fastest quarterback about to enter the league, and that’s Alabama’s Jalen Milroe.
“He may be the only quarterback when he gets in the NFL, who’s faster than Lamar [Jackson]. Don’t tell Lamar I said that, please,” Berry said with a laugh at his pre-draft press conference, per Pro Football Talk. “[Milroe has] rare physical gifts. He’s strong, he’s fast, he’s got a really strong arm. And any system that you build around him, you want to take advantage of the fact that he has things that no other players at the position have.”
There’s no doubt that Milroe’s rushing ability is his calling card. He led the SEC with 71 total touchdowns over the past two seasons, and 32 of those scores came on the ground. Last season, 20 of Milroe’s 36 total touchdowns came via rushing attempts. Tim Tebow, Cam Newton and Johnny Manziel are the only other SEC quarterbacks to ever rush for 20 touchdowns in a single season.
If you want to know how dominant Milroe can be with his legs, go watch the 42-13 victory over the LSU Tigers this past season, where Milroe carried Alabama with 185 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. The young quarterback does have work to do when it comes to accuracy as a thrower, but he was one of the few prospects invited to Green Bay to attend the draft, so don’t be too shocked if you hear Milroe’s name called in the first 32 picks.
