Chicago Bears Draft Profile: Memphis WR Anthony Miller

Could Anthony Miller be the next Jarvis Landry?  The Memphis wide receiver has all the tools and a sleeper pick for the Chicago Bears in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Ryan Pace’s top priority is to surround Mitchell Trubisky with more weapons this offseason.  Anthony Miller, a talented play-making wide receiver from Memphis, is someone the Chicago Bears should target in the draft.

Strengths

Miller stands 5′ 11″ and weighs 190 lbs.  As you would expect from someone his size, he is a very elusive wide receiver.  He has the ability to shake loose from a defender and get open for his QB.  Throughout his collegiate career, he has also been known as an excellent route runner.

This is obviously a highly coveted skill for wide receivers in the West Coast offense. So from that standpoint, he should be very intriguing to the Bears and new coach Matt Nagy.

While the 2017 Consensus All-American may not possess the size of a “big-bodied” wide receiver, he can certainly hold his own against larger corners.  He uses what size he has very well, and is not afraid to mix it up physically.  He is also outstanding at using his body to adjust to the football, as shown in the video below.

In his junior year, Miller caught 95 passes for 1434 yards (15.1 avg) and 14 TDs. Last year, he hauled in 96 balls for 1462 yards and (15.2 avg) and 18 TDs.  The point is, Anthony Miller was an extremely reliable, consistent, and productive receiver in college.

The Chicago Bears have not seen that kind of consistent production from a wide receiver since Alshon Jeffrey’s second and third years.

Another one of Miller’s strengths is his ability to accumulate yards after the catch.  Miller figures to play primarily out of the slot in the NFL.  In Matt Nagy’s “Spread Coast” offense, his ability to turn those short passes into big gains will be critical.

Weaknesses

As noted above, Anthony Miller is not a physically imposing wide receiver.  While he plays big for his size, he will need time to adjust to playing against bigger NFL corners.  Miller also lacks what many would consider elite speed.  He is not the type of player that is going to take the top off the defense, another skill that is also coveted in the West Coast offense.

However, the Bears could look to acquire that type of player through free agency with the addition of a guy like Paul Richardson.

Player Comparison: Jarvis Landry

Many Chicago Bears fans have called for the team to go strong after Jarvis Landry in free agency.  However, Anthony Miller might be the more cost-effective option.

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Miller and Landry have similar builds at about 5′ 11″ and weigh around 200 lbs. Like Landry coming out of college, Miller also lacks elite speed.

However, both players make a living racking up yards after the catch.  They each have the ability to turn a short completion into a huge gain.  Landry primarily does it by breaking tackles, while Miller uses his shiftiness to make defenders miss.

One area where Miller excels over Landry is yards per catch. Landry has only averaged about 10 yards per catch for his career, while Miller has averaged about 15 yards per catch.

Bottom Line

Anthony Miller is exactly the kind of player the Chicago Bears should target in the draft.  The former walk-on-turned-All-American is a tough and tenacious player who would bring much-needed production to the Bears offense.

He would provide Mitch Trubisky with another weapon and already possesses many skills that are compatible with Nagy’s offense.  Whether Ryan Pace feels the same way remains to be seen.