Brandon Miller Returns To UGA For Senior Season

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that junior linebacker Brandon Miller has elected to return to Georgia for his senior season and thus not enter the NFL Draft.

It may seem absurd because it is, but Miller, a part-time player throughout his career who only started five games last season, was seriously contemplating entering the NFL Draft.

The 6-foot-4, 248-pound Miller probably believes his size and speed will enable him to play outside linebacker in a 3-4 NFL defense. However, outside linebackers in 3-4 defenses are playmakers and Miller make no big plays, evident by his 0 sacks and 0 interceptions over his college career.

He also makes few tackles, evident by the 23 he recorded last season over 13 games. However, Miller could have a big senior season and boost his draft status if he moves to defensive end, which nearly every recruiting analyst figured he would play when he was ranked among the country's top prep prospects four years ago.

Miller has tremendous athleticism, but the past three years have proven that he cannot effectively play linebacker in a 4-3 SEC defense. With standout defensive ends Quentin Moses and Charles Johnson both gone, Miller could compete with Marcus Howard, Roderick Battle and the often-injured Jeremy Lomax for playing time at rush end.

By demonstrating that he can rush the passer, NFL teams could view Miller as a potential 3-4 linebacker, since the ability to pressure quarterbacks is the most important attribute of a 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL.

Georgia coaches never force players to line up at positions where they do not want. This creates a more harmonious team but also keeps players from realizing their full potential, such as Miller and Coleman Watson, who should have been forced to stay at offensive tackle for longer than a couple of weeks. Miller, though, can still have a great senior season and showcase NFL potential. Hopefully, he makes the wise decision and at least acquiesces to his coaches' apparent desire for him to try defensive end this spring.