When Day 1 of the draft wrapped up, another quarterback whose fate seemed as cloudy as Shedeur Sanders’ was Jalen Milroe. While he did get drafted earlier than the Colorado QB, there was still plenty of hesitancy about the former Alabama signal-caller among experts. Milroe got tagged as a total boom-or-bust guy, but his physical tools hint that with some fine-tuning, he could absolutely become one of the best the sport has ever seen. It really boils down to all that potential versus what he actually delivers as a franchise quarterback over these next few years. And the NFL took that leap of faith. Through it all, his mom was right there, getting emotional and wishing him the absolute best as he gets ready to kick off his pro career.

Milroe’s cannon arm and excellent running ability made him one of the top QB prospects in the draft. The Seattle Seahawks drafted him in round 3, adding him to an already loaded QB room. It will be some time until Milroe starts for the Seahawks. But his career at Alabama was nothing short of iconic. Sure, he’s faltered in some places. But he also produced 2,844 yards and 16 TDs in his last season, amidst an overhaul of culture under Kalen DeBoer’s 1 stint as HC. Now that he’s officially an NFL player, his mom has a heartwarming message for him to look back to.

“Jalen baby, we’re incredibly proud of you,” Lola Milroe said. “You have worked incredibly hard to get here. We know the journey has not been easy. But you stayed steadfast, you have remained faithful, and God has shined a light on you. And, here you are,” she added tearfully. Milroe himself was trying hard to control his emotions as he watched the video play. After all, Milroe has had a hard time proving his worth.

Growing up, things weren’t handed to him—not by a long shot. That upbringing, with parents who lived and breathed values like trust, discipline, teamwork, and sacrifice, really hammered those lessons home for him. His dad, Quentin, a proud U.S. Marine, trained him up, even when folks sometimes looked at Milroe and figured he was more of a defensive back than a quarterback, definitely not the obvious choice under center. But fueled by that grit he learned from his father, he kept grinding to become the QB we see today.

He suffered last season, with his QBR falling from 85 to 13 while under pressure. Also, he completed only 48% of his passes in the red zone. Of his 11 interceptions, 10 were because of throws less than 20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, according to ESPN. These are areas where he lacks. But, with time and training, he stands to give some serious competition to those QBs who are ahead of him in the depth chart. There’s a lot he brings to the table for Seattle to take stock of.

How will Jalen Milroe’s future look in Seattle

Milroe’s speed is a key aspect of him that everyone interested in the QB was targeting. His flaws are also glaringly present, but they were willing to take a gamble on that purely because of his speed. “It’s really hard on those guys to be able to see 22 miles an hour,” GM Jon Schneider joked about the recruiting team that was following Milroe. The Seahawks didn’t need a QB, considering they have a set starter in Sam Darnold. But things could be in for a twist with Milroe’s arrival.

The former Alabama QB is the one who might seriously challenge a veteran for that starting job. In fact, many liken this situation to that of Russell Wilson, who scored the starting position after seriously impressing Pete Carroll. Mike Macdonald can see a repeat of that arc if Jalen Milroe significantly improves his game.

Under new OC Klint Kubiak, Milroe can expect to take a limited number of snaps. The former, despite a battered offense, still managed to match the Seahawks when it came to plays per game—60.7 and 60.6, respectively. While MacDonald has announced that Darnold will play 90% of the snaps, there’s a good chance Milroe can take the rest.

But the onus of it all falls on the QB to fight and earn that playing time. Thankfully, Milroe already has the potential and the tools to come out of last season’s problems. His fellow teammate, Tyler Booker, said that the QB was going to “change a program” prior to when Milroe got drafted. He may have gone to Seattle without much fanfare. But he’ll have the football community once again talking about him once he gets to the field.