The Alabama Crimson Tide are awaiting a potential College Football Playoff berth after wrapping up a 9-3 regular season with a 28-14 win over Auburn on Saturday.
Quarterback Jalen Milroe led the way in Week 14 with a dominant rushing performance, racking up 104 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries, giving him 20 rushing touchdowns on the season.
Outside of Alabama’s Playoff hopes, some attention remains on the future of its redshirt junior quarterback, who could be a Day 1 or Day 2 pick in the 2025 NFL draft if he declares.
Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema dove deep on Monday with a three-round mock draft in which he predicted Milroe to land with the New York Jets as a potential replacement for 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers. There was a twist, though.
Sikkema had Milroe falling to the No. 38 pick in the second round, while New York instead took Michigan cornerback Will Johnson with the No. 6 overall selection.
“If the Jets lose D.J. Reed in free agency, addressing the cornerback position in the draft will become a priority,” Sikkema wrote after projecting Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders at pick No. 2 to the Las Vegas Raiders and Miami’s Cam Ward at pick No. 3 to the New York Giants.
“They could fill that need by selecting one of the top prospects in this class despite his injury struggles in 2024. When fully healthy, Johnson’s rare combination of size and stickiness in coverage rivals any cornerback prospect from the past five years.”
Bleacher Report agrees on Milroe’s second-round placement, comparing him to “Shades of Jalen Hurts with a jet pack & stronger arm.”
Neither Rodgers nor the Jets organization has confirmed whether he will return for his 21st season in 2025, but things have not gone according to plan this season. The four-time NFL MVP has one year remaining on his three-year, $112.5 million contract. Spotrac projects Rodgers’ cap hit for next season to be $23.5 million.
