After selecting Kendall Sheffield with their first pick on Day 3 of the NFL Draft (No. 111 overall), the Falcons again added to their secondary by selecting former Washington cornerback Jordan Miller with their second fifth-round pick.
Of the two cornerbacks Atlanta selected, Miller – taken 172nd overall – appears to be the more technically proficient coverage cornerback. At 6-foot-1 and 186 pounds, Miller possesses incredible length and boasts nearly 33-inch arms.
That length makes Miller an effective press corner at the line of scrimmage, and he's got great hip flexibility and is very smooth in and out of breaks.
It's the technical aspect of being a cornerback where Miller really shines. Possessing 4.49 speed, Miller is balanced and fundamentally sound at the line of scrimmage and looks comfortable carrying receivers deep in both Cover-3 and Cover-1 responsibilities.
There are times where Miller gets himself in trouble when the ball is in the air, drawing penalties for closing too fast on a receiver or grabbing a jersey. But those are penalties that can be corrected with greater discipline, and it's telling that he's in position to make a play on the ball in the first place.
Although Miller has plenty of speed, he doesn't have to rely on that speed to close on a receiver too often because there aren't too many times on film where he completely loses his assignment.
What Miller possesses in length, speed and fluidity, however, he lacks in overall size. That lack of size is most notable in Miller's tackle attempts. He doesn't often stay behind his pads to go strong into a tackle attempt but rather dives at an opponent's legs to knock him off his feet.
At times, that technique can be effective, but it's not really a sound way to go about tackling, especially in the NFL.
The other notable talking point with Miller is a season-ending leg injury that he suffered during his junior season in 2017. Miller returned to start 12 games for the Huskies as a senior, but leg injuries are a bit more noteworthy at positions like cornerback or wide receiver.
All-told, though, Miller has a lot to offer at cornerback. The Falcons don't believe his injury situation will be a factor moving forward, and they actually feel that he slipped a bit due to the injury and that he offered strong value in the fifth round.
Miller should be an immediate candidate to have a role on special teams, and he is the type of cornerback who should be comfortable on the outside in Atlanta's defensive scheme.
