Can Braxton Miller Live Up to the Hype as a Wide Receiver?

COLUMBUS, Ohio — When Braxton Miller announced his move to wide receiver two weeks ago, the former quarterback's position change was met with applause from fans, teammates and even NFL scouts.

After all, this is one of the most dynamic players in all of college football preparing to make what many expect—or, perhaps more accurately, assume—will be a seamless transition to a role that may ultimately best suit his skill set, both in the present and in the future.

But while most in Columbus have little doubt that Miller will soon find himself as one of the favorite targets of the Ohio State Buckeyes' starting quarterback—whomever it may be—there's at least one man who still has questions about how the former two-time Big Ten MVP will fare at his new position.

And he just happens to be Miller's head coach.

Maybe it's in his nature to temper expectations, or perhaps he simply doesn't know what he'll get from Miller as a wideout, but Urban Meyer did his best at Big Ten media days to downplay the hype that's surrounded the Huber Heights, Ohio, native in the past few weeks.

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Asked to compare Miller to arguably the best wide receiver he's ever coached, former Florida wideout Percy Harvin, Meyer didn't bite.

"Obviously, Braxton has got a long way to go at that position," Meyer said.

But the three-time national champion head coach also added: "Percy—I don't think I've ever been around a more dynamic athlete. I have not been around a more dynamic athlete. However, Braxton Miller is in the same tonnage of that kind of athleticism."

Which is what has so many around the Ohio State program excited about his recent switch.

For all that he may have seemingly lacked as a passer in comparison to the accuracy of J.T. Barrett or the cannon-like arm of Cardale Jones, there's never been any question about what Miller can do with the ball in his hands. In three seasons as the Buckeyes' starting quarterback, he tallied 3,054 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns on the ground, many of which came by way of highlight-reel plays that left helpless defenders in his wake.

Miller possesses that rare "quick twitch," the term Meyer reserves to describe athletes such as Harvin who always seem to be a step—or, oftentimes, steps—ahead of everybody else. Nobody knows that better than Miller's own OSU teammates, some of whom used to practice against the former signal-caller on a daily basis.

"To be honest, he didn't even need to wear that [no-contact] black jersey in practice," senior defensive tackle Adolphus Washington said at Big Ten media days in Chicago last week. "He's hard enough to tackle without it."

"Don't blink," Buckeyes linebacker Joshua Perry added. "He's got some of the crispest, most ridiculous moves. His footwork his amazing, he's really fluid, and his speed is obvious."

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

But what's perhaps just as obvious is that it takes more than being really fast and having the ability to make people miss to play wide receiver. Especially when you've spent the better part of the rest of your football career playing another position and are trying to learn the new one on a month's notice.

For one, Miller will need to learn routes, although having spent three years studying Meyer's playbook as a quarterback should help in that capacity. He'll also have to create separation while doing so, a skill that Bleacher Report NFL draft lead writer and analyst Matt Miller doesn't foresee being an issue for the 6'2", 215-pound speedster.

"From what I've seen of his movement and explosive ability, it's all there athletically," Matt Miller said. "He's a powerful runner for his size and has the get-up-and-go to pull away from defensive backs. Ideally, he'll be used a lot in space on shorter routes where his ability to make defenders miss can come into play."

And as for the not-so-small issue of catching the ball—something he's never done in his college career to this point—his Instagram account seems to indicate he'll be just fine.

"The feedback I'm getting from guys like J.T. and Cardale is that he's very athletic, obviously, and he can catch the ball," Meyer said. "I've not seen him do that. I'm anxious to see him do that."

A former wide receivers coach during his days as an assistant, Meyer said he'll be working personally with Miller throughout fall camp as he continues to adjust to his new position. With wide receiver Corey Smith and H-backs Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson each suspended for the Buckeyes' season opener against Virginia Tech, getting Miller involved in his new role in the passing game will be of utmost importance to Ohio State, which suddenly finds itself shorthanded at wideout heading into its national title defense.

As a receiver, Miller possesses plenty of promise, most of which has been based on projections and not actual results. But for all that he still has to prove, Meyer expects that Miller will remain a star in his spread offense.

"He's one of the best athletes I've ever coached. He's got an incredible first step. Above all else, you say it's time to win or lose, and he's not going to lose," Meyer said.

"My expectation is he's an impact player."

He isn't alone in thinking so either.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.