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Adversity to excitement: Jaguars rookie LB Ventrell Miller's journey to NFL Draft success
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- Adversity to excitement: Jaguars rookie LB Ventrell Miller's journey to NFL Draft success
There was a sense of relief and excitement after Jaguars rookie linebacker Ventrell Miller had his name called in the fourth round (pick No. 121) of the 2023 NFL Draft.
For two seasons, the linebacker out of the University of Florida suffered through injuries, including losing nearly the entire year in 2021 due to a biceps injury suffered in the second game of that season.
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Due to his injury history, there were questions regarding his draft status — he couldn't even run or test prior to the draft due to foot surgery on a Jones fracture in his right foot he played through in 2022, for instance.
Still, the moment came for his time in the limelight, and he gets to stay in Florida, close to home after spending his entire life in Florida — whether that be in Gainesville with the Gators or in Lakeland, where he grew up.
"Man, [it's] very exciting. I get to stay in Florida, [my] hometown. Love that," Miller said shortly following the team's first day of rookie minicamp, earlier this month. "Love the heat outside, you can see [it] today. I'm excited. Parents get to come out to the games. In Florida, I can't complain."
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Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Ventrell Miller works on a defensive drill during an NFL football rookie camp, Friday, May 12, 2023, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Miller participated in light drills during minicamp, still in recovery from postseason Jones fracture surgery. So far, so good as far as that's concerned, said Miller.
"I guess it's just precaution," Miller said of the Jaguars holding him out of full participation. "We got a long season ahead, more practices. So [they're] just trying to ease me in. I think that's what they [are] trying to do from a medical standpoint. I feel good though."
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Miller said there isn't a timetable for him to return to full participation, but the team does want to see him run around some, and how he reacts to more football contact prior to doing so.
When Miller wasn't injured during his tenure at Florida, he was thought to be one of the better players in the SEC, particularly during his redshirt sophomore (2019) and junior (2020) seasons.
Miller's love for football showed through at UF
As a redshirt freshman in 2018, Miller, along with the rest of his Florida teammates, entered a period of change. A new regime, led by then-head coach Dan Mullen, took over which meant there could be some changes.
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That season, Miller had to adapt, and that showed through to his former position coach, Christian Robinson, who coached Miller at Florida from 2018-21. Robinson coached the Auburn Tigers in 2022 after a regime change at Florida and now coaches at Baylor in the same role.
"He was a quiet kid, but you could tell that he loved the game of football and that he was still trying to figure out what those next steps were going to be," Robinson told the Times-Union during a phone interview earlier this week. "And he was always open to being coached. That was, I think, one of the first things that I really felt about him was he wanted to improve. He wanted to work at his craft."
Florida Gators linebacker Ventrell Miller (51) gets hugs from loved ones during Gator Walk at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, FL on Saturday, October 29, 2022 before the Florida Georgia game. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]
Everyone on the team liked Miller, Robinson said. He affected people differently than some of the other guys and that was when he knew he was going to have to be someone that the team depended on. Miller would go on to become a two-time team captain, something that doesn't happen by accident.
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Before that, though, Miller had a bit of growing to do. At one point during the year, the then-redshirt freshman approached Robinson in his office to discuss playing time. Miller didn't argue or make a disrespectful entrance but was curious about what he could do to get on the field.
That year, Miller was behind on the depth chart with first-string players David Reese II and Vosean Joseph as veteran starters. Simply put, he wasn't going to see the field much on defense, if at all during most of the year.
"I'm not saying that that meeting spurred who he became, but it was one of the steps," Robinson explained. "The next couple of days in practice, I had to basically slow him down because he was just going so hard. And understanding that the details are what makes people great at what they do in any profession, how they handle the things that are fundamental to being successful."
Miller took to that teaching and had a great offseason heading into his redshirt sophomore year. He eventually became the starter and made an impact during the first game of the season for Florida against the Miami Hurricanes.
Florida linebacker Ventrell Miller (51) celebrates after a missed field goal by Miami during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
With Florida in the lead 24-20 over Miami, the game came down to the last possession by the Miami offense. Florida had to make a stand or be forced to answer with fewer than 20 seconds remaining in the contest and Miami in striking distance.
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"We get a timeout and he comes over to the sideline, I can see that he's kind of, without saying it, he's kind of asking, 'Can I come out?'" Robinson said. "And I say, 'this is what you want. This is what you always wanted. This is what you wanted; to be the guy that, when the game is on the line, your number's called,' and the next play [he] goes in to make arguably one of the hardest plays in the game."
Miller broke up a pass in the corner of the end zone on third-and-12 on a pass intended for now-NFL tight end Brevin Jordan . The Gators sacked the QB to ice the game on the next play.
Miller finished 2019 with 55 tackles (second-most on the team) and three sacks. That included six tackles and two sacks to complement his game-saving play against Miami.
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The following season, Miller led the team in tackles with 88, adding 3.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss. He earned SEC Academic Honor Roll in both 2019 and 2020 and was voted SEC Defensive Player of the Week twice (Week 1 and Week 10) during the 2020 season.
Adversity strikes; Miller makes the most of it
Though Miller enjoyed success during his first two years as the starting middle linebacker at Florida, the next two years were anything but easy. Miller was forced to watch the majority of 2021 on the sidelines due to a biceps injury as the team finished 6-7, with yet another regime change on the way.
He finished the year with just two games played and eight tackles after suffering the injury in Week 2 against USF. The following season, Miller broke his foot during the team's second game of the season against Kentucky but opted to play the entire year after missing his true redshirt senior season.
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He accounted for 74 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. His best game of the season came against the Missouri Tigers in a win with 10 solo tackles and two tackles for loss.
Not every player would opt to play on a broken foot, but Miller had plenty of reason to do so.
Florida Gators linebacker Ventrell Miller (51) fist bumps Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen after his injury in the fourth quarter of the 2020 SEC Football Championship at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA on Saturday, December 19, 2020. [Matt Pendleton/Special to the Sun]
"[I] missed all of 2021. Really, [it was about] going out with a bang," Miller said of his mindset to play on a broken foot. "I felt like this was my last year for real, I said that last year when I got hurt, but this was my last year. So, really trying to get back out there and leave it on the field."
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Robinson said Miller's decision to play on the broken foot means he's a team player. Robinson also went through a similar injury as a player.
"I know people feel the way they do about him because of [him] continuing to fight through adversity after adversity," Robinson said.
"People know that you care about the place that you're at when things that would normally stop maybe the average person, he shows that it means more to him than your body. As football coaches, the guys that are willing to sacrifice their bodies are the guys that we depend upon the most. I will always see him as a warrior."
Miller said that before each game, the Florida staff administered lidocaine, a numbing agent, to his foot so he could play. Still, the injury made him slower, especially during practice.
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Now, approaching 100 percent, Miller will have an opportunity to showcase why he was drafted by the Jaguars in the first place.
No surprise: Miller's play showcased why he was selected
Though many were surprised Miller's name was called in the fourth round, in part, due to his injury history, Robinson wasn't surprised at all. Miller was one of the most versatile players he coached at Florida, something NFL teams look for.
At Florida, Miller played the 'MIKE' (middle linebacker) and 'MONEY' (weak-side linebacker) positions while Robinson was coaching there. He was one of the few players on the team that could do the flip, Robinson explained.
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"When you have a higher level picture where, 'alright, I know this fit, I know how to play this technique,' that you can flip positions within a game when you're needed," Robinson said. "That is when you're a player that is making the team better because you can put your best 11 on the field."
Miller was on his way to being the team captain in 2021 prior to his injury. Everybody on the team knew it was him, said Robinson. The two kept up during Miller's final season at Florida, and Robinson continued to coach him up from afar, getting the film from Florida each week and breaking down his play.
He wanted to see how he was playing and the techniques he used.
"To get drafted as high as he did shows that people know what they're getting and I am excited to see, regardless of the adversity that comes, who he becomes and how he affects the Jaguars," he said.
Jacksonville has a similar mindset. Jaguars assistant general manager Ethan Waugh was asked on the first day of rookie minicamp what sold the team on selecting Miller in the fourth round considering his injury history.
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"I think when you look at the film when Ventrell's healthy, he's a really good football player," Waugh said.
"He's very instinctive, he's quick, he can run, and then additionally off the field and in the locker room there at Florida, he's been a multiple-year captain. He's a fantastic kid. He has the DNA right that we're looking for in the locker room."
Jaguars rookie linebacker Ventrell Miller (51) jokes with teammate Dequan Jackson (55) during a rookie minicamp practice on May 12.
Part of why Jacksonville chose Miller is due to his high energy and versatility. The energy once poured into the Florida locker room will bleed into the Jaguars' locker room over the coming seasons.
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Miller's priority will be special teams to start out, but he's not discouraged about the downgraded role entering his first year in the pros.
"A little shocking, I would say," Miller said when asked about the change from starter to backup now that he's with the Jaguars.
"But, just being patient throughout the process, whatever they ask me to do, [I'm] going 100 percent at that. Whatever I can do right now, going 100 percent. I know you got to wherever you go. I feel like you got to work your way up to the top, man. No difference here. So, I feel like that's what I'm going to do."
'Dependable': Miller will fit right in on Jaguars special teams
The Jaguars' special teams unit was viewed as one of the best in the league last year, ranking 11th in long-time special teams analyst Rick Gosselin's 2022 NFL special teams rankings .
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While Miller didn't play a lot of special teams through the latter portion of his career at Florida, that was one of his primary responsibilities as a redshirt freshman in 2018. It's part of the hard conversation that Robinson had to have with Miller.
"We really talked to him about, hey, this might not be your year to be the guy at linebacker, but we need you on special teams, and at the end of the year he ended up being a special teams MVP for the whole team for a while,"said Robinson.
Plenty of players that went on to become NFL draft picks at Florida played on teams initially. The list includes 2020 draft picks, receivers Josh Hammond, Van Jefferson and Freddy Swain. Those are the guys that are on special teams because they were dependable, Robinson explained.
"I know that he's going to make an impact and he knows that that's how you make a team," Robinson said of Miller's special teams ability. "That's how you create value. And especially when you're not the first-round draft pick. That's what you have to do to be somebody that stays, I know he's going to work to be the best at what he does."
Florida Gators linebacker Ventrell Miller (51) is late to blocking the punt as the Florida State Seminoles take on their rival the Florida Gators in college football at Doak S. Campbell Stadium, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018.
Though Miller's speed has been knocked by pundits, Robinson views it a bit differently, noting that Miller went up against tight end Kyle Pitts in practice every day. Pitts went on to be the fourth-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.
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Miller understands where his limitations are, Robinson explained, and utilizing his technique will be key to his success moving forward.
"I'm excited to see how he uses the technique that he's learned and going head-to-head with one of the best that I've ever been around, in terms of playing that position. I see him using a lot of those days that he spent against Kyle to his advantage," said Robinson.
"But a lot of it is knowing that those guys are going to be faster than us. But, where we leverage them and what we give up, that's why we play with 10 other guys and he's gonna play within the defense to protect himself. I know that."
Miller will have the opportunity to prove just that. Though he will likely sit behind starters Devin Lloyd, Foye Oluokun and Chad Muma, he's embracing the opportunity he has in front of him.
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For now, he will don the No. 51, hoping to get back to what he did in college, make plays.
"Continue the legacy. I feel like we got another big-time player that wore [No.] 51 here. So ready to continue that and make big plays," said Miller.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @Demetrius82 .
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Rookie LB Ventrell Miller looks to 'continue the legacy' with Jaguars
