Miller drawing comparisons to Brown
(This is the next installment of a 10-part series on the NFL Draft. Today无毛视频檚 story highlights wide receivers.)
Anthony Miller didn无毛视频檛 wear 84 at Memphis. He didn无毛视频檛 need to, since he looks just like Antonio Brown on the field anyway.
无毛视频淎 lot of people compare me to Antonio Brown,无毛视频� Miller said at the NFL Combine.
He said it humbly, and only to answer a reporter无毛视频檚 question.
无毛视频淵eah, I无毛视频檝e heard that a lot,无毛视频� Miller said.
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At 5-11 1/8, Miller无毛视频檚 a full inch taller. And at 201, he无毛视频檚 15 pounds heavier than was Brown coming out of Central Michigan in 2010.
They both timed nearly the same at their respective pro days, in the 4.48-4.50 range.
Miller无毛视频檚 stronger, more explosive in the jumps, and had an eye-popping 6.65 3-cone drill. Brown无毛视频檚 agility times were also good. He ran his 3-cone in 6.98, but with a better shuttle at 4.18, compared to Miller无毛视频檚 4.26.
But what无毛视频檚 at the core of the comparison?
无毛视频淚 guess just playing style,无毛视频� Miller told another reporter.
It无毛视频檚 almost shocking to watch Brown closely the past eight seasons and then to watch Miller on tape. They无毛视频檙e that similar.
无毛视频淭hey even strut the same,无毛视频� said my wife as she looked up from her phone to watch a replay of a Miller touchdown.
She was scouting the celebration, and there were plenty of those. At Memphis, Miller caught 37 touchdown passes. Last season he caught 96 passes for 1,462 yards (15.2) with 18 touchdowns. He ran the ball, too, and returned kicks. The stat lines are very similar to Brown无毛视频檚 at CMU.
Does Miller pattern his game after the Steelers无毛视频� All-Pro?
无毛视频淣ot too much,无毛视频� Miller said. 无毛视频淚 just play my game. People just seem to compare him to me a lot. It无毛视频檚 an honor because he无毛视频檚 really the best receiver in the league right now.无毛视频�
Miller did his best to stay humble in front of the reporters at the Combine. He didn无毛视频檛 want to come off as a college player who actually believes his media comparisons to the best receiver in the world. But Miller无毛视频檚 quarterback at Memphis didn无毛视频檛 hold back.
无毛视频淚 tell people that all the time,无毛视频� Riley Ferguson said of the comparison. 无毛视频淚 feel like he IS the next Antonio Brown.无毛视频�
Ferguson paused, let the wave of excitement pass and added: 无毛视频淏ut, at the same time, he无毛视频檚 the next Anthony Miller. He无毛视频檚 himself and he无毛视频檚 going to go out and impress a lot of people and show everybody what he can do.无毛视频�
Miller, like Brown at CMU, had to walk on to play college football. He signed an imaginary letter-of-intent for local news media in Memphis.
无毛视频淚 signed a blank sheet of paper and people thought I was actually signing with Memphis,无毛视频� Miller said. 无毛视频淓verybody knew I was good, but some just couldn无毛视频檛 believe that I walked on. But I really did. And now I无毛视频檓 just grateful that I无毛视频檓 here.无毛视频�
He made it there the way Brown is in the NFL: with a detail-driven work ethic that leaves teammates dizzy.
无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 crazy, man. He无毛视频檚 a dog,无毛视频� said Ferguson. 无毛视频淗e has one of the best work ethics I无毛视频檝e ever been around. He无毛视频檚 not going to be scared of it. He无毛视频檚 not going to back down. He无毛视频檚 going to duck his head and get the work done.
无毛视频淲hen I think about Anthony, it无毛视频檚 him working, going to practice every single day, no matter what it is. It could be Monday or it could be game day, but he无毛视频檚 going to treat it the same. He无毛视频檚 a heck of a player.无毛视频�
The Steelers, for one, shouldn无毛视频檛 shy away from the next Antonio Brown. They need a return specialist. They need a reserve who can play both inside and outside. They need someone to groom for a starting job if Martavis Bryant leaves after this season. They would find all of that in a humble overachiever they could place back in James Harrison无毛视频檚 old locker, next to Brown无毛视频檚, and set those two loose on a world of football, workouts and nutrition that very few others understand.
MY TAKE
The Steelers haven无毛视频檛 shown much public interest in Miller, but they did bring a second-round candidate 无毛视频� Christian Kirk (5-10 3/8, 201, 4.45) 无毛视频� in for a visit, so it shows they无毛视频檙e giving high-pick consideration for the opening caused by Eli Rogers无毛视频� ACL tear in the playoff game. Kirk is a better return specialist than Miller, and of course we无毛视频檒l always give credence to whatever judgments the Steelers have about wide receivers. Miller and Allen Lazard (6-4陆, 227, 4.55, 38 vertical), of Iowa State, were the top red-zone producers last season with 11 and seven red-zone touchdowns, respectively. Lazard, according to the Bleacher Report, was the top yardage producer on third and fourth downs. Another personal favorite, James Washington (5-11, 213, 4.50, 39 vertical) of Oklahoma State, is a deep threat with whom the Steelers met at the Combine.
VALUE BOARD
Second Round 无毛视频� Anthony Miller, Memphis; James Washington, Oklahoma State; Christian Kirk, Texas A&M.
Third Round 无毛视频� DaeSean Hamilton, Penn State; Allen Lazard, Iowa State; Michael Gallup, Colorado State.
Fifth Round 无毛视频� Tre无毛视频橯uan Smith, Central Florida; Richie James, Middle Tennessee State; Justin Watson, Penn.
Seventh Round 无毛视频� Cam Phillips, Virginia Tech; Quadree Henderson, Pitt; Russell Gage, LSU.