The full-court press that is training camp is still more than a month away, but Scott Miller already is making an impression in the NFL.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Miller, the former star wide receiver at Bowling Green State University, in the sixth round of the NFL draft in April, and Miller drew the praise of teammates and coaches during the club’s offseason workouts this month.
“He’s jumped out there, and he’s made a play in every practice, whether it’s in the red zone [or] all the way down the field,” Bucs coach Bruce Arians told reporters. “He’s bringing speed, but he’s bringing a lot of compassion to this game.”
Tampa Bay selected Miller with the 208th pick, which the team acquired from Philadelphia in exchange for receiver DeSean Jackson and a seventh-round pick next year.
The Buccaneers also lost receiver Adam Humphries — who caught 219 passes in four years and also returned punts — to free agency, leaving Miller with an opportunity to play immediately for Tampa Bay.
Miller drew late attention in the draft process due to his speed, and so far, the Buccaneers have liked what they have seen.
“Scotty’s been phenomenal,” Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston said. “Very, very quick and fast. When you lose a guy like Adam Humphries, it’s hard to fill that role, but Scotty’s doing everything he can to fill that spot.”
The undersized receiver — Tampa Bay lists Miller at 5-foot-11, 174 pounds — became one of the top pass-catchers to play at Bowling Green, the only Football Bowl Subdivision school to offer him a scholarship. Miller helped the Falcons win the 2015 Mid-American Conference championship as a true freshman, then led the team in catches and yards three years in a row.
He caught 23 touchdown passes during his final three seasons and graduated as the third-leading receiver in Bowling Green history.
Despite Miller’s production as a Falcon, he was not invited to the NFL combine, the major all-star games, or given a place on the All-MAC first team after his senior season.
However, at his pro day at BGSU, Miller ran low 4.3 times in the 40-yard dash, which earned the attention of NFL personnel departments.
“I didn't get invited to the combine, no really big bowl game, so all I really had was my game film,” Miller told reporters. “I knew I had to show up at pro day and perform well. I think I did that. I think that helped a lot. After that, I started getting calls from a bunch more teams."
Arians compared Miller to John Brown, a speedy receiver with a similar build to Miller whom Arians coached with the Arizona Cardinals.
Miller’s speed will be his best asset, and the Bucs also plan to evaluate him as a potential return man.
“For him to get in there and go block a linebacker — he’s not going to last long,” Arians said. “He’ll give us speed in the slot, he’ll give us speed as a wide receiver, but I basically see him as a wide receiver.”
The Tampa Bay depth chart gives Miller a good chance to make a 53-man roster, and he said he is willing to go wherever the Bucs need him in the coming months.
“I love to run press, man-to-man, stretch the field vertically,” Miller said, “so whatever these coaches ask me to do and wherever it leads this summer, I’ll be willing to do.”
First Published June 18, 2019, 1:33 p.m.
