The Dallas Cowboys may be an ideal landing spot for one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country.
In his “way-too-early” 2025 NFL mock draft, CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson suggested the Cowboys could select University of Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe with the 25th overall pick in next year’s draft.
“Milroe is one of the best athletes in this class, and if he continues to make the same strides in 2024 that we saw over the second half of the 2023 campaign, he could find his way into the first round,” wrote Wilson.
Jalen Milroe Emerged as Crimson Tide’s Next Great QB in 2023
According to Wilson’s April 28 piece — which he called less of a “mock draft” and more of a “guide to the college players you should keep an eye on during the 2024 season” — Milroe would be the fifth quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL draft.
The 21-year-old Milroe excelled in his first season as a starter, leading the Alabama Crimson Tide to a 12-1 record in the regular season. Milroe’s productive first season as starter — 23 passing touchdowns, 531 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns — led to the Crimson Tide making a surprise College Football Playoff appearance despite dropping outside of the Top 10 in the AP poll during the middle of the season.
The 6-foot-2 Milroe is an interesting prospect because he’s considered an athlete at quarterback. One NFL scout compared Milroe to former quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who once led the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance and broke the single-game postseason rushing record (181 yards).
“Kid just keeps getting better and better. Honestly he kinda reminds me of (Colin) Kaepernick a little bit. Big, athletic, fast, big arm, and big plays,” the scout told Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz in November .
Cowboys Would Draft Jalen Milroe to Replace Dak Prescott
If the Cowboys were to select Milroe in the first round, there’s little doubt that it would be to supplant Dak Prescott as the franchise quarterback. Prescott is currently about to enter the final year of his contract. While the Cowboys remain adamant that they would like to get a deal done with their 30-year-old quarterback, the fact remains that he’s unsigned and could leave in free agency next offseason.
Team owner Jerry Jones addressed Prescott’s contract situation while speaking to reporters in late April.
“We want Dak Prescott,” Jones said on Tuesday, April 23. “That’s that. … I give Mike [McCarthy] a lot of credit for [Prescott’s improvement last season]. That improvement demonstrated to me there’s more as far as ultimately winning what we’re trying to do here. … We want Dak and we think that there’s room for growth.”
Prescott is coming off of the best season of his career, finishing as the runner-up in NFL MVP voting after leading the league with 36 touchdown passes. To top it all off, Prescott also posted career highs with 410 completions, a 69.5% completion rate and 105.9 passer rating.
However, he holds just a 2-5 career postseason record — the lowest win percentage among quarterbacks with multiple playoff wins, according to Bleeding Green Nation’s Brandon Lee Gowton — and has never led the Cowboys past the divisional round in his eight seasons as a starter.
While the organization is saying all of the right things when it comes to Prescott, they may be prepared to move on to a new franchise quarterback — such as Milroe — if he falters again in the playoffs this year.
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‘Way-Too-Early’ Mock Draft Lands Cowboys Athletic 35-TD QB With ‘Big Arm’