Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Scott Miller making his presence felt

Scott Miller was not a name on many people’s lips ahead of the draft, but he is making an impression early for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Speed was a key feature of Bruce Arians’ passing attack during his time with the Arizona Cardinals and the new Buccaneers head coach may well have found a fast target to form a key part of his offense in Tampa Bay in rookie Scott Miller.

Miller received very little in the way of pre-draft hype and his selection by Buccaneers in the sixth round with the 208th overall pick was predictably greeted with little fanfare.

However, the former Bowling Green receiver appears to be turning heads early in his pro career. Starting quarterback Jameis Winston, according to Scott Smith of the Bucs’ official website, said Miller has been “fantastic in practice”.

Smith also described Miller as “very quick and fast”, which tallies with the 40-yard dash he ran in 4.30 seconds at his pro day, according to Bucs general manager Jason Licht.

Listed at just at 5’9″ and 174 pounds, Miller will almost certainly be limited to a slot role in the pros, and he could immediately fill the void left by Adam Humphries, who signed with the Tennessee Titans in free agency.

Humphries caught 76 of his 105 targets last year and, while Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have the boundary receiver positions locked down, there is very little competition to prevent Miller from occupying the slot in three receiver formations and receiving the bulk of those lost targets.

Fast and lightweight receivers flourished to varying degrees during Arians’ time in Arizona, with John Brown and J.J. Nelson each finding success with the Cardinals as downfield weapons.

The likelihood is that, to get the most out of Winston and his impressive arm, Arians will be typically aggressive in Tampa.

With his speed, Miller – providing he continues to catch the eye – should prove one of the primary beneficiaries of such an approach. He was hardly on anybody’s radar heading into the draft but could soon be seen as a steal if he becomes a focal point of Arians’ downfield passing attack.