John Miller to Buffalo: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

Guard was perhaps the biggest need for the Buffalo Bills entering this weekend, and they addressed the position with a natural fit of John Miller form the University of Louisville.

Buffalo surprisingly passed on A.J. Cann from South Carolina in the second round in favor of a defensive back. Instead, they settle for Miller in hopes of striking gold with a Louisville product in the third round for the second straight year.

The Bills' worst kept secret was absolutely needing to take a guard with one of Friday’s two selections. With no pick in the fourth round, passing on a guard on Day 2 would require a long and risky wait until pick No. 155. They missed out on Laken Tomlinson, Cann and D-III product Ali Marpet, and all would have been good fits if the board had fallen more in the team’s favor.

Waiting nearly 80 picks to address the position was a gamble the Bills simply could not afford.

Who is John Miller?

Miller can best be described as a big, run-blocking hog. He has incredible strength for an interior lineman, which he uses to his advantage despite other physical deficiencies.

He is not nearly as athletic as some of the other guards in this draft class, but he may be the best straight-line blocker. Miller has an incredibly big frame to work with, and because he doesn’t rely on his athleticism to get ahead, he never gets too far away from his skill set.

Miller flew a little under the radar during the draft process and was only invited to the East-West Shrine Game, where he showed fairly well.

Power is Miller’s greatest attribute, and the Bills obviously recognized that as a fit for their new-look offense. ESPN’s Bills beat writer Mike Rodak got a straightforward response from Doug Whaley as to why Miller was the pick in the third round.

What Comes Next?

Buffalo is likely hopeful Miller will come in and be a Day 1 starter. Flipping between the analysis from NFL Network and ESPN, they seemed to have differences of opinion on when Miller would become a contributor for the team.

Miller has a great chance to grab a starting gig right away, considering the pitiful depth at the position currently on the roster. Richie Incognito is the only player who absolutely has a starting spot, while 2014 free-agent acquisition Chris Williams is the other starter by default.

Cyril Richardson, a fifth-round pick last offseason, will have chances to push Williams, but will probably be resorted to a backup slot. Miller and Richardson have similar makeups at the position, but Miller will have a better shot to clinch playing time for two reasons.

First, Miller is being drafted by a new regime and will have more benefit of a doubt because he was hand-picked by Greg Roman. Second, Miller has better leverage for the scheme because of his 6’2” height in comparison to Richardson, who is 6’5”. If Miller does indeed become a better fit for what Roman is trying to do on offense, then Richardson might have a hard time even making the final 53.

Miller is going to come in on Day 1 and compete for a starting spot. On a team with few holes, that is all you can ask out of a third-round selection.