The 2016 Senior Bowl wraps up its final day of practice on Thursday, and one player who has popped up is Ohio State wide receiver Braxton Miller. He dealt with a calf issue on Thursday that cut his day short, but it sounds like the injury is not a big deal. We'll see if it costs him Saturday's game.
In the meantime, practice reports out of Mobile have been high on him. CBS Sports analyst Dan Brugler had this to say about Miller thus far:
"There's so many athletes out there, but then there's Braxton Miller. He's a step above these guys. That's no throwing shade on the other guys it's just that Braxton Miller is so elite as an athlete - the body control, short-area quickness, the long speed - it's all there.
"Obviously, he's still raw and you could see that in his routes. He needs to learn better nuance, how to use his hands but a player that moves like he does ... and he caught everything. I think he's a natural athlete with quick reflexes.
"It's all there on display so we'll have to see how he improves throughout the week but he set the bar pretty high in that first practice."
The big question with Miller is experience. The physical skills are there, but he only made the switch to wide receiver his final year at Ohio State. He had previously played only quarterback, so the switch to wide receiver this year means his route running is something that will be a work in progress. That being said, his upside is going to have folks drooling heading into the 2016 NFL Draft. It will be fascinating to see what that means come draft weekend. He's got three more months to show off his stuff and chat with teams. He has limited tape for analysis, so we'll see what it means come late April.
In the meantime, here is a strong play from Senior Bowl practice. The second video was shot by teammate Mike Thomas.
Final route from Brax, in cut. This is how it should look. 2 steps, a little head fake, and goodnight ✌ ️ https://t.co/BC7P8Kp1mq
— KP (@The_KP_Show) January 28, 2016
#shhhh https://t.co/Uv2MGNG3NS
— Mike Thomas (@Cantguardmike) January 28, 2016