Should Steelers Consider Replacing TE Heath Miller in 2015 NFL Draft?

At 32 years old and entering his 11th season in the NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller is nowhere near over the hill just yet. In fact, he remains one of the best and most complete players at his position in the NFL.

Miller can block on runs, pass protect and catch the football like any player of his experience should, but he plays the game like a much younger man. He was the Steelers' third-leading receiver in 2014, catching 66 passes on 88 targets for 761 yards and three touchdowns. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ray Fittipaldo points out that Miller's 1,103 offensive snaps played in 2014 was the most of any tight end in the league.

Still, Miller's age cannot be ignored. Nor can the Steelers' relative thinness at tight end behind Miller on the depth chart. Two others spent time on the active roster in 2014—Michael Palmer and Matt Spaeth.

Player	Tgts.	Rec.	Rec.%	Yds.	YPR	TD
Miller	88	66	75%	761	11.5	3
Spaeth	4	3	75%	46	15.3	1
Palmer	2	1	50%	1	1.0	0

Palmer is a pass-catching tight end with little blocking experience; he had just one catch for one yard on two targets in 2014. Spaeth, meanwhile, is a more experienced tight end but specializes in blocking; he caught three passes on four targets, for 46 yards and a score last season. He is an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

The Steelers also have two tight ends signed to reserve/futures contracts—seventh-round 2014 draft pick Rob Blanchflower and journeyman Michael Egnew. Both will have to fight to remain on the bottom of Pittsburgh's roster once training camp commences in the summer.

Though Miller should remain just as effective for the Steelers as he was in 2014, his advancing age means that the team must start considering a successor for the veteran. And with the Steelers yet again facing a difficult salary-cap situation, it's most likely that they would have to turn to the draft to find Miller's eventual replacement.

That could pose a problem this year, however. It's not a stacked draft class at tight end. The best prospect is Minnesota's Maxx Williams, expected by WalterFootball.com to be selected in the first or second rounds. The Steelers have other pressing needs, particularly on defense, that may preclude them from selecting Williams that early.

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Williams caught 36 passes for 569 yards and eight touchdowns in the Gophers' run-heavy offense in 2014. WalterFootball.com notes that Williams "has good size, natural receiving skills, athleticism and speed. He also has some blocking potential" and "is a real mismatch weapon."

Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com says "Williams is a budding superstar with his combination of size, build and athleticism for the position, using his route acceleration to get open down the seam and the physicality to be a bruiser after the catch" and compares him favorably to Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten.

After Williams, the draft has a number of intriguing tight end prospects, though none have Williams' all-around upside, which echoes Miller's contributions in Pittsburgh. They include Michigan's Devin Funchess, who may project to be more of a wide receiver in the NFL than a tight end. He has 126 career catches for 1,715 yards and 15 touchdowns. 

Year	Rec.	Yds.	YPR	TD
2012	15	234	15.6	5
2013	49	748	15.3	6
2014	62	733	11.8	4
Total	126	1,715	13.6	15

Though Brugler notes that Funchess is a "matchup nightmare against linebackers and smaller cornerbacks with a size differential that isn't close in most cases," though he "[d]oesn't consistently play up to his size as a ballcarrier and will brace himself for contact, not powering over smaller bodies. Effort is there as a blocker, but often caught off balance with erratic technique."

Miami's Clive Walford could be a good Round 3 pick for the Steelers. He has some of the all-around traits of Miller (and Williams) in that he is able to work as a blocker and a receiver.

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein notes that Walford "has lined up in-line, slot and as an H-back. Has the physical build and enough quickness to threaten the seam. Turns head and locates the ball quickly. Can make contested catches. Has NFL run-after-catch ability. At home in a physical matchup. Has long arms and big hands," adding that he is developing into "a very reliable blocker."

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NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock (via Mike Huguenin of NFL.com) believes that Walford is the "most explosive tight end in this year's draft." That resounding endorsement certainly helps his draft stock; if Walford impresses in the scouting combine, he may rocket up draft boards, especially given how thin the position group is. In that case, Walford, like Williams, could be out of the Steelers' reach if he looks more like second-round pick than a third.

In that case, a "sleeper" like South Carolina's Rory Anderson could be an option for the Steelers, especially with WalterFootball.com currently projecting him to be drafted somewhere between Rounds 4 through 6.

Anderson has just 61 career catches for 954 yards and nine scores in four seasons with the Gamecocks. He was underused, but not for a lack of talent—the offense just didn't skew his direction.

Year	Rec.	Yds.	YPR	TD
2011	8	188	23.5	3
2012	14	271	19.4	5
2013	17	235	13.8	0
2014	22	260	11.8	1
Total	61	954	15.6	9

With a small sample size, there's not much being said about Anderson, though CBSSports.com's Rob Rang notes he has, "Good initial burst and agility to gain separation off the line of scrimmage and shows good hands. ... He is quick and competitive when sealing the edge and works to sustain his blocks." Someone of his background can certainly be developed into Miller's successor in a year's time.

Miller has two years left on his contract, with cap hits of $5.66 million in both 2015 and 2016; however, it's possible that 2015 is his final season. Because of this, the Steelers may have no choice but to spend a draft pick on the position this year despite there being few sure-thing tight ends in the class. 

Tight ends of Miller's style are quickly falling out of fashion in the NFL, with pass-catchers taking primacy over blockers and teams preferring to field two tight ends rather than one who can do it all. Though there are some Miller-style tight ends in this year's draft, the Steelers may have to concede that Miller's eventual replacement won't be a clone of the veteran.

In that sense, Miller is not replaceable. He's a one-of-a-kind player for the Steelers, and when his time with the team is up, they'll need to move forward both in name and in style.

Thus, the Steelers shouldn't be worried about finding a new Miller but instead someone capable of starting in his stead, someone who can make plays and score touchdowns. If they need to employ two tight ends—one to block, one to catch—then so be it.

But the time has come for the Steelers to make tight end a draft priority and to prepare to move on from one of their most consistent offensive players of the last decade.