Chicago Bears: Round-by-round draft grades for each pick

Anthony Miller

Wide receiver

Grade: A-

You knew at some point the Bears were going to address the wide receiver position. The Bears added Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel in free agency, but the loss of Cameron Meredith made it a position of need. They couldn’t just go into the offseason workouts with Kevin White as one of your two top WR’s on the roster.

Pace got aggressive and up into the second round for Anthony Miller. Miller was very productive at Memphis, where he put up back-to-back 1,400-yard seasons. At 5-11 201 pounds, it can be easy to categorize Miller as “just a slot WR”.

However, Miller played both in the slot and on the outside in Memphis explosive offense. He was able to do that because of how far along he is as a route runner. Miller sets opposing cornerbacks up with stutter steps and head fakes in order to create separation.

Miller doesn’t have elite speed, but he has more than enough to make big plays downfield. He also displayed the ability to make tough catches if given the chance. Miller should immediately be able to contribute to head coach Matt Nagy offense. I imagine Miller will be in competition with White for that starting wide receiver spot once training camp hits.

The Miller pick has been labeled as one of the favorite picks of the draft by many analysts. Nick Kostos of CBS HQ recently went onto CBS’s Pick Six podcast and called Miller his favorite receiver in the entire draft, thus praising Pace for the pick. The national media is beginning to pay attention, folks.