The typical passing stats don’t jump off the page.

During his first season as a starter last year, Jalen Milroe finished 43rd nationally with 2,834 passing yards. He was tied for 23rd with 23 passing touchdowns and tied for 24th with a 65.8 completion percentage. Five of his 13 starts saw him fail to reach 200 passing yards, while he only eclipsed the 300-yard mark once through the air.

Milroe’s place among this year’s early Heisman Trophy favorites has more to do with the playmaking ability as a runner. However, the redshirt junior’s efficiency as a passer often goes uncelebrated.

Milroe finished fifth nationally with a 172.17 quarterback rating last season. Liberty’s Kaidon Salter (176.60) is the only returning quarterback with a higher passing rating, while Heisman Trophy winner Jaden Daniels (208.01), fellow first-round pick Bo Nix (188.32) and undrafted free agent Jason Bean (175.03) are all currently in the NFL.

So what is quarterback rating, and how important is it in measuring a passer?

NCAA passer rating is measured by the following formula: ((8.4 x Passing Yards) + (330 x Touchdown Passes) + (100 x Number of Completions) – (200 x Interceptions)) ÷ Passing Attempts. As for its relevance in signifying top passers, eight of the last 10 quarterbacks to lead the nation in the stat went on to become first-round picks.

Milroe’s efficiency last season was even more impressive considering the level of opposition he faced. In his six starts against top-40 passing defenses, he completed 86 of 136 (63.2%) of his passes for 1,290 yards and nine touchdowns with just one interception. That was good enough for a 163.28 passer rating which would have still ranked in the top 15 nationally.

To help put Milroe's efficiency into context here’s a breakdown of how he and the rest of this year’s Heisman front runners fared against top-40 passing defenses last year.