Ohio State Football: Inside Braxton Miller's 1st Day as a Wide Receiver

COLUMBUS, Ohio — As he stood on the practice field outside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, it'd be hard to argue that Braxton Miller didn't look the part.

Preparing to participate in his first official practice as a wide receiver, Miller donned a new jersey—trading in his No. 5 for a No. 1—a visored helmet and perhaps most importantly, gloves.

At 6'2" and 215 pounds, the former Buckeyes quarterback stretched with his old position group before the start of Ohio State's first practice of preseason camp Monday but soon found himself running routes once individual drills began.

And although Miller may have looked crisper than expected while doing so, it was clear that the two-time Big Ten MVP still has some adjusting to do when it comes to playing his new part.

"He looked like it was his first time playing receiver," quarterback Cardale Jones said of his former stablemate's wideout debut.

That's probably because it was.

Learning to do anything new is going to take some time, even for an athlete as supremely gifted as Miller. Still, the assumption by some seemed to be that his transition to wide receiver would be a seamless one, based primarily on a career that's seen Miller rush for 3,054 yards and 32 touchdowns in his three seasons as a quarterback.

But scoring on a QB counter or read-option play doesn't require the same skill set that turning a short pass into a long one does, as Miller found out Monday.

Only the first four of the 25 periods that made up the Buckeyes' practice were open to the media Monday, but Miller dropped multiple passes thrown his way while running undefended routes. 

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer admitted afterward that Miller seemed "unsure" at times as he lined up for plays at his new position.

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

"The whole thing is, get the plan and then execute the plan," Meyer said. "That involves your split, your release, and that's what's different for Braxton. Before, it was quarterback and the comment he made to me, 'Quarterback, you gotta worry about everyone's world. At receiver, you gotta worry about your world.'

"I see him a little bit unsure, but you turn around and get the play, which we gotta fight through that quickly."

That's not to say the day was a bad one for Miller—perhaps just a necessary one.

When he did haul in passes, he managed to show off the joystick-like ability that made him one of college football's most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks before a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder suffered a year ago brought an end to his days as a signal-caller.

"Fast," Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett said when asked to describe Miller's performance Monday. "When he’s out there making moves, he broke a couple people off today.”

But as Jones mentioned, Miller still needs to work on doing the things that will put him in that position at his new spot. After all, the Huber Heights, Ohio, native's ability to make people miss has never been in question.

"Of course he's going to show speed, of course he's going to show quickness and catch the ball, but there's more than that in playing receiver," Jones said. "Understanding the depth of routes, getting in and out of breaks, and things like that."

The latest Ohio State roster lists Miller as a "QB/H-back," but Meyer insists he's now a full-time wide receiver.

In order to truly learn the position, the Buckeyes' head coach believes his former star signal-caller will need to fully entrench himself in the process with just four weeks to go until Ohio State's season opener against Virginia Tech.

And with H-backs Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson as well as wide receiver Corey Smith suspended for the Buckeyes' battle with the Hokies, the reality is that Ohio State may need Miller to do more than just look the part sooner than originally thought.

Monday offered some hope that the talented ball-carrier will be able to do just that, but it also provided a reminder—for both Miller and fans alike—of how far he still has to go.

"That position, to play it right—not just to play it, but play it right—is like any other position," Meyer said. "In fact, it might be more complicated."

The three-time national champion head coach remains hopeful Miller will get the hang of it and meet his expectation of being an "impact player." But with fall camp officially underway, the clock is now ticking.

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.