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Ventrell Miller Could Improve the Linebacker Depth for the Commanders

Hogs Haven takes a look at 2023 NFL Draft prospects that could contribute to the Commanders

By dg28
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South Carolina v Florida Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images

Ventrell Miller, LB

School: Florida | Conference: SEC

College Experience: Senior | Age: 22

Height / Weight: 6’ / 232 lbs

Projected Draft Status: 5th-7th Round

Player Comparison: Micah Kiser

College Statistics

Defense & Fumbles Table
Tackles Def Int Fumbles
Year School Conf Class Pos G Solo Ast Tot Loss Sk Int Yds Avg TD PD FR Yds TD FF
*2018 Florida SEC FR LB 7 8 7 15 2.0 1.0 1 82 82.0 1 0 0 0
*2019 Florida SEC SO LB 12 27 28 55 5.5 3.0 0 0 0 2 0 0
*2020 Florida SEC JR LB 11 52 34 86 7.5 3.5 0 0 0 3 1 0
*2021 Florida SEC SR LB 2 3 5 8 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
*2022 Florida SEC SR LB 11 34 40 74 8.5 0.0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 2
Career Florida 124 114 238 23.5 7.5 1 82 82.0 1 7 2 0 0 2
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 3/30/2023.

Player Overview

A three-star recruit in high school, Lakeland, Florida native Ventrell Miller decided to stay in state and play at Florida over Arizona, California, Cincinnati, and Bowling Green. Things got off to a rocky start in 2017 with Miller redshirting while he was suspended for marijuana possession. He started turning things around the next season, appearing in each of the Gators’ games in 2018 as a reserve and special teamer. He would get his chance to start in 2019 and was second on the team in tackles. He’d follow that up in 2020 by leading the team in tackles and earning SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors twice. His 2021 campaign was limited to two games because of injury. In 2022, he was fourth on the team in tackles with 8.5 of them for a loss, all while playing through a foot injury that has kept him from athletic testing prior to the draft.

Strengths

  • Does a good job scraping along the line to track ball carriers
  • Willing to take on blockers and fight through them for tackles
  • Excellent at timing his blitzes to get in the backfield
  • In zone coverage, has good feel for players in his zone
  • High effort player

Weaknesses

  • Limited athletically with change of direction and speed primary concerns
  • Struggles getting to edges to prevent outside runs
  • Difficulty covering players in man coverage
  • Needs to improve strength to consistently shed blockers

Let’s see his work

How he fits on the Commanders

Ventrell Miller has has a lot of qualities that teams want from their linebackers: instincts, toughness, effort. These qualities help make up for his lack of athleticism, but will be enough for him to make an impact at the next level? The Commanders may think so given that they have meet with Miller. If Washington selects him, he would provide special teams play and depth to a starting unit that will feature Jamin Davis and Cody Barton. While Miller has tools to contribute in the front seven, he’ll have to improve his coverage ability to prevent being targeted by teams in passing situations. If he can do those things, he might become a quality backup on the Commanders defense.

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