Lamar Miller
5’11, 212 pounds | Running back | Miami Hurricanes
Lamar Miller NFL Draft scouting report
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Acceleration/ burst: He is dangerous in the open field with his foot quickness, agility, vision, and top notch speed. He can accelerate to top speed in a blink of an eye. He had a lot of long scoring runs in between the guards. He can get to the outside with his speed and quickness and then bursts around the corner like the Falcon spaceship in the Star Wars movie trilogy, known as “warp speed”.
Elusiveness: He has plenty of juke and wiggle he uses very well to elude defenders on inside and outside runs. He has quick feet and very good athleticism and uses it to change directions quickly to make tacklers miss.
Pass blocking/ catching: Miller gives good effort but needs to use better technique. He is an adequate pass blocker and has the playing strength to slow the pass rusher. He was not used much in the passing game, but when he got the opportunities he showed good hands to pluck the ball from the air and then secure the ball. I believe at the next level he could be just as good as the Texans Arian Foster catching out of the back field.
Power: Miller has good playing strength and a strong lower body to deliver a blow to tacklers. He gets his pad level low, but not consistently, to withstand the initial contact from the defender then drive or drag him for extra yardage. He is very effective running between the tackles.
Speed: He has tremendous speed and can reach his maximum in a hurry. He may be the fastest back in the 2012 NFL Draft class. When he keeps his feet under him and gets good balance he rarely gets caught from behind and can also out run an angle defender. You heard it here first, if Miller gets a good start out the blocks at the 2012 NFL Combine he will have the fastest 40 time and he will break last year's mark held by his ex-teammate DeMarcus Van Dyke.
Vision: He has very good vision and can feel the backside pursuit very well. He finds the hole quickly then burts thru fast. He is an outstanding cutback runner and follows his blockers well then cuts off of their hips to burst thru the hole quickly. His quickness and instincts helps him to make quick decisive cuts. He will remind some of former Hurricane great, Clinton Portis.
Final Word: Miller is leaving school as a redshirt sophomore and only has two years of strong play. The 2011 season was his first as the starting running back and he produced some big numbers. In three games against some high quality defenses he performed as a superstar amongst stars. He rushed for 184 yards against Ohio State, 166 yards against Virginia Tech, and 92 yards against Florida State. He has the playing strength, agility, vision, and competiveness to be a very good starting running back in the NFL. He is a big play waiting to happen every time he touches the ball because of his speed and superior burst. If he gets more opportunities in the passing game at the next level he would be dynamic with a team that uses a one back system. He also has kick return experience and is very dangerous in the open field. Miller should turn out to be a consistent starting NFL running back once he learns the speed of the game and uses better pass pro techniques.
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