Memphis trio ready for the NFL Draft
For Anthony Miller, Genard Avery and Riley Ferguson, the road to the NFL Draft was anything but clear or obvious.
Miller began his Memphis career as an unranked walk-on. Avery was a two-star recruit when he arrived. Ferguson was a former Tennessee signee looking for a reset after a year at Coffeyville Community College.
All three were not considered surefire NFL Draft prospects as recently as two years ago, but now the trio will likely hear their names called between Thursday to Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where this year’s draft is held.
“It’ll be a great testimony for what was going on during the years they have been within the program,” Memphis coach Mike Norvell said. “You can’t control the journey, you make the most of the opportunity when it presents itself, and all three of them have had twists and turns in their path getting to Memphis.”
If Miller, Ferguson and Avery get selected, it will be the first time since 2001 that Memphis has three players selected in a single draft. That year, Idrees Bashir and and Michael Stone were drafted in the second round and Marcus Bell was taken in the fourth.
Draft streak expected to continue
Memphis also has had at least one player drafted since 2014, a streak that will continue when Miller is expected to be taken between the second and third round on Friday. USA Today’s Draft Wire has him
projected at the No. 59 overall pick in their latest mock draft released Monday .
It will be just one more step in a journey that’s taken the Memphis native from being a 5-foot-7 freshman wide receiver at Christian Brothers High School to the all-time leading receiver in Tigers history.
“It really hasn’t hit me yet that I’m about to be a pro football player,” Miller said after his Pro Day workout. “It’s been a dream of mine for so long, and I’ve been working for this. Everything that comes to me, I deserve.”
According to reports, Miller had meetings last week with the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City and Washington. This week, Miller made his case as the draft’s best wide receiver in an open letter at The Players’ Tribune and a video on LeBron James’ Uninterrupted website sharing his story and touting his credentials.
Miller’s selection will also be another moment of pride for a city still excited around another native son with Penny Hardaway already making progress in his first month as men’s basketball coach. Kevin Locastro, Miller’s former coach at Christian Brothers, added that the younger generation looks up to Miller as not just a great player, but somebody willing to give back and help kids that were like him.
“He’s a great ambassador for our city, and I think he’s going to be a great ambassador for the university,” said Locastro, now the head coach at Lausanne. “Whoever’s fortunate enough to get him is going to get a really good wide receiver and a kid with great character and work ethic.”
‘I just want an opportunity’
Avery, who had meetings with the Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts, has been projected as a third to fourth round selection. Draft Wire projected Avery as the No. 82 pick in the third round.
Despite his stock rise after a strong showing at the NFL Combine, he said he’ll be happy wherever he gets selected.
“Wherever God wants me and whoever calls me, that’s where I’m going. At the end of the day, I just want an opportunity,” Avery said following Memphis’ Pro Day.
Ferguson’s two years at Memphis were the finishing touches on a career that was in limbo when he left Tennessee in 2014. He said at the Tigers’ Pro Day that teams he met with included the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers and Kansas City.
NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein projects Ferguson as a sixth to seventh round selection highlighting his accuracy and being comfortable in the pocket while having questions about his size and mobility.
Still, this week figures to be another dose of excitement for Memphis. For a trio that had to fight their share of adversity, it’s a reminder that not all roads to the NFL Draft are clear but the end will be just as satisfying.
“They’ve done a wonderful job representing our program in how they’ve performed and prepared for the draft, and I’m excited for their futures,” Norvell said.