It was a bit of kismet that Alabama football legend Shaun Alexander was announcing the Seattle Seahawks’ draft picks on Friday night.

In the third round, Alexander had the chance to let the world know the Seahawks had taken fellow Alabama alum Jalen Milroe. Alexander referred to the former Crimson Tide quarterback as “my nephew.”

Milroe’s original college coach, Nick Saban, was of course also part of ABC’s broadcast of the draft. Saban said Milroe has all the skills to succeed at the NFL level, but needs refinement.

“He’s going to give the Seahawks an element of offense that nobody else in this draft can give anybody,” Saban said. “He’s fast, he’s explosive and he can throw the ball. He’s a great deep ball thrower, he just needs a little refinement and consistency in the passing game.

“The thing that I always preached to him about, I said ‘Jalen, you make enough big plays, how about let’s eliminate some of the bad plays — the sacks, the fumbles, the interceptions, because those are all drive-stopping plays, and you make enough big plays.”

Milroe’s character has never been much in question, and Saban said his resiliency will also serve him well at the professional level.

“It says a lot about this young man that had a bad game against Texas (in 2023),” Saban said. “… We benched him for a game, and he came back and really was a leader of our team and took us all the way to the playoffs.

“But he was a big part of all that, and that kind of ability to overcome adversity is going to be something that’s going to be an asset for him in the future.”

Milroe isn’t likely to compete for the starting job in Seattle, at least not in 2025. The Seahawks signed former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold to a three-year contract in March.