#30 - 1st Round - Pittsburgh, Heath Miller, TE, Virginia

[Hostile]

Steelers select...Heath Miller, TE Virginia

[sybarite]

Miller?

[StonetheCrow77]

miller

[Juke99]

Heath Miller, TE, Virginia
Height: 6:05.0 Weight: 256


AP
Heath Miller

Overview: Aptly nicknamed "Big Money," Miller made a claim as the greatest tight end in school and Atlantic Coast Conference history. He is the first player in ACC annals to win the Mackey Award as the nation's best tight end. He also became the school's first major award winner since 1941. Miller holds every receiving record for a tight end in school history and also established new conference career records for receptions, touchdown catches and yards gained by a tight end. He closed out his career as the first two-time first-team All-ACC tight end in school history. Miller was a quarterback and safety at Honaker High School, where he earned Associated Press Player of the Year honors as a senior and was a two-time AP All-State selection. He was selected Virginia High School Coaches Association Group A Offensive Player of the Year as a senior and was a two-time first-team Group A All-State selection. Miller earned All-Southwest Virginia first-team honors at quarterback and was a second-team All-State selection at defensive back, adding Region D Offensive Player of the Year accolades. Miller passed for over 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns and rushed for 901 yards in 2000. As a junior, he passed for 1,872 yards and 26 touchdowns, and rushed for 643 yards and 12 scores, leading Honaker to an 11-2 record that season. Miller played first base on the Honaker baseball team and was a forward on the basketball team. He earned Black Diamond District first-team honors, and was an All-Region and All-State selection in baseball. He also earned All-District and All-Region honors in basketball. In 2001, Miller was in uniform for the Richmond game, but never played that year for Virginia. He would go on to start 39 consecutive games for the Cavaliers. Miller led ACC tight ends with 33 receptions for 327 yards (9.9 avg) and nine touchdowns, and even threw for a 20-yard score. He scored at least once in each of his first five games at Virginia and his nine scoring grabs set a school season-record for tight ends. Miller picked up All-American first-team honors from The NFL Draft Report and first-team All-ACC accolades as a sophomore. He was named ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week vs. Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. He set school and conference records for tight ends as he hauled in 70 passes for 835 yards (11.9 avg) and six touchdowns. Miller was a consensus All-American and unanimous All-ACC first-team pick in 2004. He did not match his 2003 figures, but still led the team with 41 catches for 541 yards (13.2 avg) and five touchdowns. In 39 games as a Cavalier, Miller caught 144 passes for 1,703 yards (11.8 avg) and twenty touchdowns, all conference records for a tight end. Only Billy McMullen (210, 1999-2001) had more catches in a career for the Cavaliers. His 1,703 yards rank seventh on the school's career-record list and his twenty scoring grabs rank fourth, behind McMullen (24), Herman Moore (27, 1988-90) and Tyrone Davis (28, 1991-94).

Analysis: Positives...Has a good-sized frame with broad shoulders, adequate overall muscle development, good bubble and chest width, long arms and big hands...Has room for additional growth...Highly intelligent athlete...Shows adequate quickness off the line of scrimmage and the ability to gain advantage on the defender with his burst off the line... Uses his hands effectively to escape the hold up and shows decent quickness in and out of his breaks...Displays good body control to break down and make the quick cut...Works back to the quarterback well and has a knack for finding the ball and making the tough catch in a crowd...Possesses soft, natural hands with the ability to extend, pluck, snatch and secure away from the body's frame...Able to find the open seam on intermediate rounds and is very good at tracking the ball...Has the flexibility to get to off-target tosses...Shows adequate running speed and strength to break tackles after initial contact...Will surge off the line of scrimmage and make contact, generating good pop and explosion as an in-line blocker...Has adequate ability to climb to the second level and make the cut-off block and is also effective at hitting moving targets.

Negatives...Lacks great timed speed and needs to gather himself before gaining momentum as a runner...Can get to the second level, but does not have the burst or acceleration to be a consistent deep threat in the vertical passing game...Has good size, but his leg strength is questionable, as he can be driven back by the more physical defensive linemen...More of a position blocker who will finesse rather than sustain and gain leverage blocking on the edge...Better when blocking in space, as he prefers to hit targets on the move...Gathers at the top when trying to gain separation.

Agility tests: CAMPUS: 4.87 in the 40-yard dash...Bench presses 225 pounds 17 times...32-inch vertical jump. COMBINE: Did not participate in agility tests...33-inch arm length...10 -inch hands...39 Wonderlic score.

High school: Attended Honaker (Swords Creek, Va.) High School, playing football for coach Doug Hubbard...Was a quarterback and safety at Honaker High School, where he earned Associated Press Player of the Year honors as a senior and was a two-time AP All-State selection...Selected Virginia High School Coaches Association Group A Offensive Player of the Year as a senior and was a two-time first-team Group A All-State selection...Earned All-Southwest Virginia first-team honors at quarterback and was a second-team All-State selection at defensive back, adding Region D Offensive Player of the Year accolades... Passed for over 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns and rushed for 901 yards in 2000...As a junior, he passed for 1,872 yards and 26 touchdowns, and rushed for 643 yards and 12 scores, leading Honaker to an 11-2 record that season...Played first base on the Honaker baseball team and was a forward on the basketball team...Earned Black Diamond District first-team honors, and was an All-Region and All-State selection in baseball...Also earned All-District and All-Region honors in basketball.

Personal: Sociology major...Son of Earl and Denise Miller...Born Earl Heath Miller on 10/22/82 in Richlands, Virginia...Resides in Swords Creek, Virginia.

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[k19]

big suprise on that pick