Scouting Report: Miller has come on like gangbusters this season. Seems like every defensive highlight, there's Miller. Miller is a very active player and works with great intensity and a motor that won't quit. He's more about effort than football acumen at times. He does show an excellent burst as a pass rusher, but not much in the way of technique. Another concern I have with Miller is how he's collected his gawdy stats this year. He's basically feasted on mediocre tackles and amassed his stats there and then when he goes against a better line, he struggles. Physically he's certainly got the build to play a rush OLB, with some serious beef on him, and long limbs. And he's going to have the triangle numbers as well I suspect. He certainly looks the part. But he's basically a one year wonder, who's packed a ton of sacks into a few games against bad teams.
Draft Status: For me personally, I wouldn't draft Miller in the first round, should he declare. I think he's far more raw than some of the other rush OLB prospects, and is going to be much more of a project player. I doubt he declares unless he's given some assurances that he's going to be a 1st or 2nd round pick, and I think so long as guys like Jerry Hughes, Ricky Sapp and Sergio Kindle are off the board, I'm ok with that. A huge combine and workouts could propel him into the first, because it only takes one team to fall in love.
Final Analysis: I've seen Miller play 8 times this year, and it's been a mixed bag. Some games he just blows past tackles, punishes the quarterback, and seems to be all over the field making plays in the run game and even in coverage. Then he meets up with a guy like Russell Okung and he does his best David Copperfield and disappears. You have to look beyond the box score for Miller. He's played more linebacker than end, so he's probably further along than some of the other rush OLB prospects. But he's still not a great run defender, and just needs a lot more education in football. As a junior, I think he really needs a second productive year to put aside some of the concerns about him. Do I think he has upside? You bet. Probably more than the other guys I've named. But he's
got the build to be a star, and he's got the work ethic. I'm just not entirely sure he's a good enough football player to ever match his physical potential.
Reminds me of: Clark Haggans, LB
Arizona Cardinals. Haggans has shown some flashes during his career,
but still struggles with the technical part of playing NFL linebacker.
He's athletic enough and works hard enough to stay productive, but you
always look at Haggans and think there is a ton of untapped potential
due to a low Football IQ. Miller is that same type of player who've
going to need great coaching and a commitment to improving to realize
his potential.
