Jun
19
Nothing screams “underrated” more than the fact that the team had a desire to replace you during the NFL draft.
Such is the case with the Miami Dolphins‘ most underrated playmaker, running back Lamar Miller.
Miller came off an impressive 2014 season that saw him run for 1,099 yards and eight touchdowns on only 216 carries, for an average of 5.1 yards per carry. That average ranked Miller second among running backs behind only Baltimore‘s Justin Forsett.
Along with his rushing ability, Miller was also a decent receiving hand out of the backfield, pulling down 38 catches for 275 yards and a touchdown.
There weren’t too many opportunities for Miller as a playmaker, though, as evidenced by the fact that he only averaged 13.5 carries a game. Despite the few opportunities he’s had, Pro Football Focus was impressed enough with Miller to rank him at 96 in its NFL top 100, stating:
Owner of the fifth-highest running back rushing grade, Miller had similar issues to [Jamal] Charles in so much as his line was a mess for most of the season and he didn’t do an awful lot right in the passing game. Yet he finished the season particularly strong, earning positive rushing grades in six of seven to finish 2014.
PFF would then laud Miller for his consistency, pointing out that he was “consistent down to down,” as he ran for over 1,000 yards despite only two 100-yard games and no runs longer than 33 yards outside of his 97-yard touchdown run against the New York Jets in Week 17.
Miller has the speed to break more home runs like that run vs. the Jets, and with an improved offensive line you’ll see more runs like that.
Miller was consistent despite running behind a sub-par offensive line, as the Dolphins graded out at minus-39.0 in run blocking.
Despite Miller’s impressive 2014 performance, the Dolphins were still looking heavily at Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon in the run up to the 2015 NFL draft, with both players visiting the Dolphins at various times.
Gurley was the player rumored to the Dolphins the most, and it wouldn’t have been surprising had the Dolphins selected him at 14 had he been available.
With Gurley gone, Gordon was still on the board when Miami selected, but the team instead opted to draft DeVante Parker, which was a very intelligent pick. The Dolphins chose to complement, and not replace, Miller, thanks to the fifth-round selection of Boise State’s Jay Ajayi.
Will this mean more carries for the former Hurricane? That remains to be seen. Pro Football Focus’ Mike Clay did note something to be easily agreed with, stating:
“The Dolphins handling of Lamar Miller has been nothing short of peculiar. He’s been limited to a situational role throughout his career but did manage 254 touches last season.”
Later in the piece, when discussing the idea that Miller’s role would be reduced had they drafted Gurley or Gordon, he wrote:
That’s a mistake. At 5.8 YPC, no player was better against base defenses last season. Thanks to Miami’s ‘11’-base offense, Miller only had to carry the ball 70 times against a base defense, but he was obviously extremely effective with those tries. Miller racked up 123 carries against nickel defenses and averaged 5.2 yards per carry. Miller’s playing time remains a concern, but he’s only 24 and extremely underrated.
Miller will be an important part of Miami’s offense in 2015. He’s one of the few playmakers who remain from last season, and he has bulked up in order to become more of a full-time back, going from 218 pounds to 225.
Lynne Sladky/Associated Press
What he does need to work on is his vision, which he has lacked at times. He doesn’t quite see the holes even as they’re already developed. When he does, the hole closes up before he gets there.
While his receiving numbers look decent, he hasn’t been as big a threat in the passing game as the Dolphins would like him to be either and is still below average as a pass-blocker.
But where Miller has had issues, the rookie Ajayi can pick up the slack, which is why I look at Ajayi as a complement to Miller, and not a replacement. You could see both backs in the backfield on some plays, which we saw in offensive coordinator Bill Lazor’s offenses in Virginia as well as with the Philadelphia Eagles.
That’s where Miller can truly shine. With Miami wanting to balance out its offense, Miller should gain more yards in 2015 as he and Ajayi can make up a good backfield that can combine for 2,000 yards. The average might go down a little bit, but that will be due to the increase in usage.
We saw a little bit of what Miami wanted to do in 2015 at the start of the 2014 season when Knowshon Moreno was healthy. Miller did break out once Moreno went out with injuries, but the seeds were there for a good backfield.
Those seeds are there now, and they will benefit Miller and the Dolphins. Don’t sleep on him just yet, no matter how often Miami used him in 2014.
Statistics provided by NFL.com unless otherwise noted.
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