It’s been a quick education at receiver for 3rd-round pick Miller
Years of throwing spirals and eluding pass rushers came to a sudden halt two years ago when Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller sustained a shoulder injury that required a pair of surgeries.
The injury and how the Buckeyes stockpiled talented quarterbacks prompted a dramatic change for Miller as the former All-Big Ten Conference passer and Heisman Trophy candidate shifted to wide receiver after suggesting the move to Ohio State coach Urban Meyer.
Instead of being a misfit, Miller was such a natural at his new position that he caught the Texans’ eye at the Senior Bowl all-star game, wowed them during a recent private workout and became their third-round draft pick Friday night.
“Oh man, explosiveness, big-play ability, speed, quickness, strength and just making people miss in a smaller area,” Miller said during a conference call after being drafted 85th overall. “Just making it easy for my quarterback and the offensive coordinator to call plays.”
What the Texans became enamored with about Miller is his blend of size, speed, versatility and willingness to fit into a creative scheme where he could operate at multiple positions. Miller lined up in the slot primarily for the Buckeyes last year in his lone season at wide receiver, earning honorablemention All-Big Ten Conference honors as he caught 26 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 281 yards and a touchdown on 42 carries.
“Braxton Miller, just a versatile player, explosive player,” Texans general manager Rick Smith said. “Trying to impact our football team, adding players who can add dimensions to our football team who can make plays with the ball in their hands, and certainly he can do that.”
Miller finished his college career with 8,609 yards of total offense to rank second in Ohio State history, including 3,314 rushing yards and 33 touchdown runs, 5,295 passing yards and 52 touchdown passes. He was twice named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and Quar- terback of the Year and was the conference Freshman of the Year after a prep AllAmerican career growing up in Springfield, Ohio.
“He’s done so many different things in college,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “He’s a very good teammate, excellent athlete, very good instincts.”
Although Miller had to sit out the entire 2014 season as a redshirt due to the shoulder injury, he reinvented himself as an allpurpose threat as a senior.
He displayed a physical nature and lightning-quick feet and change of direction skills during red-zone drills at the Senior Bowl in February.
Miller is a big wide receiver at 6-1, 201 pounds who’s run the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds. He acknowledged that he has nuances to absorb about playing wide receiver, especially at the NFL level.
Miller wanted to wind up with the Texans where he has several connections, including linebackers coach and former Buckeyes assistant coach Mike Vrabel and linebacker John Simon, a former Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Year. The University of Houston is coached by Tom Herman, his former Ohio State offensive coordinator.
“Me and coach Bill O’Brien have a couple historic moments together when he used to coach at Penn State,” Miller said. “It’s a lovely place to be, too. They need offensive playmakers like me. That’s one place I really looked at and I really wanted to go to.”