RB, TCU
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 220 lbs
Class: Junior
A three-star prospect in the 2020 class, Miller had played quarterback, running back, and linebacker in high school. Listed as an athlete recruit, Miller earned just four offers in spite of his impressive size and athleticism. He committed to his home state Horned Frogs over UTSA, Southern Miss, and Wyoming.
He spent his first two seasons in Fort Worth as part of their backfield committee. Opportunities may have been somewhat limited but Miller’s production was not as he averaged over seven yards per attempt through each of his first two seasons. His opportunity as a lead back finally came in 2022 with the arrival of new head coach Sonny Dykes. Miller ran for 1,399 on 224 carries, earning First Team All-Big 12 honours in the process.
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Strengths
Miller’s evaluation starts with his impressive combination of size and speed. There aren’t many running backs in this year’s class that can match him in that regard. At 6’0″ and 220 lbs, Miller has the kind of size that will translate effortlessly to the NFL level. He is also a noticeably quick ball carrier who has the burst to pick up chunk gains regularly. 17% of his carries in 2022 went for at least 10 yards, a rate that puts him in the 80th percentile amongst college running backs since 2014.
Another of Miller’s big strengths is his vision. He showcases very good patience in order to allow his blocks to develop and is adept at quickly reading and reacting to the picture in front of him. He also knows how to press the hole in order to influence linebackers and create optimal rushing lanes. TCU used him on a mixture of gap and zone runs and Mitchell looked comfortable operating both. His ability to improvise when plays break down is particularly impressive and would often allow him to overcome lacklustre blocking from his offensive line.
Miller pairs this vision with some legitimately impressive elusiveness. He is a noticeably shifty ball carrier and you won’t find many players of his size that can match his light footwork in congested spaces. His ability to deftly plant and change direction allows him to continually maximise yardage and he has the wiggle to make defenders miss in the hole. Miller forced 112 missed tackles on his 361 career carries at TCU and should have no problem translating this to the NFL level.
Whilst Miller wasn’t used an awful lot as a pass catcher at TCU, he showed promise when called upon. He finished his collegiate career with 229 yards on his 29 receptions, logging just two drops. His natural quickness and elusiveness makes him a real asset after the catch too and he is a threat to take quick passes for big gains. When you add this to his proven track record of being able to carry a heavy workload, he does offer the potential to be a bell cow back at the next level.
Weaknesses
Miller’s skillset is noticeably well rounded, though there are certainly areas for improvement. Despite some impressive size, he doesn’t showcase anywhere near the physicality that you might expect. He does not seem to have a real power dimension at present and can struggle in short yardage scenarios as a result. You almost never see Miller lower his shoulder into contact and when he does he struggles to generate the leg drive to plough through contact.
If Miller is to reach his potential he can also stand to improve on third downs. Whilst he showed good hands as a receiver, his route tree remains limited. He was used almost solely on simple routes out of the backfield at TCU. He also had some struggles in pass protection. There were several occasions where Miller failed to identify blitzers quickly enough and his technique can also let him down when engaging defenders.
Bottom Line
Miller offers an exciting NFL profile. He has the size, speed, and elusiveness that every team wants at the position. He also has some impressive vision that belies his age and relative inexperience. Miller has the potential to become a true three-down back at the next level.
Ideal role: Scheme versatile three-down back
Round projection: 2nd round
