Anthony Miller - Bringin' Down Home Memphis Cookin' to The Windy City

After selecting James Daniels in the second round, it appeared the Bears were done for day two as they did not have a third round pick. But the Bears saw a guy falling that they liked, and they made a move to go get him. Trading their first of two fourth-round picks as well as a 2019 second-round pic, they were able to help give Mitch Trubisky another dangerous weapon by taking Anthony Miller, wide receiver out of Memphis with the 51st pick in the draft. My initial thought when I heard they took Anthony Miller was a slight bit of disappointment, but that was based more off of a huge crush I had on Oklahoma State wide receiver, James Washington, who reminded me of Steve Smith. But to be totally honest, I didn't know shit about Anthony Miller. So let's find out about him together by taking a look at his game against UCLA.

Before even showing any plays, the thing that really stood out to me is how much Memphis must have loved Anthony Miller, because they lined him up all over the field to find ways to get the ball in his hand. He'd be out wide, in the slot, in motion for a jet sweep, even lined up as a fullback, it was clear that Memphis valued getting him the ball.
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The next thing to talk about is the dude can catch which is probably the most essential feature in becoming a successful wide receiver. Still, he made some very impressive catches in this game.

Here, he goes full extension to make the diving catch. He does a great job of tracking the football, as he originally breaks in on his route, but has to fade to the outside to give him a chance at the football. He takes the only angle that gives him a chance to make a play.

on top of having great hands, he also knows how to create separation.

Here, he does a quick stutter move to the inside before breaking his route outside the corner, which gives him enough separation to track the ball and catch it for an easy touchdown.

Memphis clearly loved Miller. In the fourth quarter when they needed a first down to avoid giving it back to a Josh Rosen-led team that had already put up 45 points, there was only one guy that they would consider going to.

This is a great example of Memphis putting Miller in different positions in order to utilize his abilities. His versatility will be one of his most valuable assets. Another valuable asset is the way he adjusts to a ball thrown behind him with a defender coming to clean his clock. He manages to make the catch and avoid the big hit; it was a win-win for Miller.

He's also good after the catch.

This is something that you would expect to see on somebody's high school highlight tape. He bobbles the ball, slips, nearly falls down, but then bounces out of two tackles, turns the corner on a defender and speeds right by him before happily high-stepping out of bounds. This is a great play, and yes, UCLA's defense was super awful.

Finally, let's see him combine a great catch with a great run after the catch.

Catching that ball behind him is very impressive, and again, he is able to keep his balance and allow himself to create after the catch. He breaks a tackle, jukes another guy, and then uses his speed to turn the corner down the sideline. He is very good at football stuff.

Conclusion
At the beginning of this post, I mentioned my disappointment with the Bears not taking James Washington. After watching the tape on Miller, a lot of what I loved about James Washington I can see in Anthony Miller. He tracks the ball well and can make plays after the catch. I also think he complements Allen Robinson very well in the passing attack. With Matt Nagy being very creative with how he gets players the ball, Miller could be used in a variety of formations and cause a lot of damage. I am starting to get very excited about the Bears 2018 season, and that terrifies me. I'm not going to jinx it yet, there's still quite a few draft picks to look at.