The New York Giants are amidst a total makeover of their tight ends room, and one guy who is hoping to be a part of that process moving forward is former University of Maine prospect Andre Miller.
Miller, 6-foot-3 and 224 pounds, was a highly sought-after undrafted free agent who drew interest from the Bucs and Panthers. But he chose to sign with the Giants, who are looking at the 24-year-old as a receiver/tight end hybrid.
Before the 2021 college season, Miller was named to the Preseason All-CAA Team and Phil Steele's Preseason CAA All-Conference First Team. He was also invited to the 2022 Reese's Senior Bowl.
In four seasons at Maine, Miller played in 33 games, recording 93 receptions for 1,670 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 50.6 receiving yards per game.
Undrafted free agent offensive lineman Josh Rivas has an intriguing set of tools with which to work. Can he etch out a spot for himself in what's a crowded Giants interior offensive line group?
There's a lot to like about what general manager Joe Schoen did in his first off-season in charge of the Giants. Let's revisit some of those steps and see why they matter.
Can this budding running back from the International Pathways Program grab hold of a roster spot?
Miller comes from a small school, but he has talent worth harvesting. He's much too light to be viewed as an in-line blocking tight end–he was seldom used in that capacity at Maine, lining up in-line on pass routes just nine times in his four-year career.
But as a receiver/tight end hybrid, Miller is versatile enough to line up all over the formation. At Maine, he primarily lined up wide, using his size, speed, and strength to win many of his one-on-one battles against defensive backs, and he also received several slot snaps where he often held the upper edge.
Miller's not a big yards-after-catch guy, and he's not someone who is going to separate with gobs of room to spare, but he finds ways to get himself open and into position to shield the ball from defenders.
That said, he caught 53.9 percent of his pass targets in school and had 12 career drops, two stats that need improvement.
Miller signed a three-year, $2.562 million deal as an undrafted rookie free agent with a $2,500 signing bonus. He'll count for $705,833 against this year's cap if he makes the roster (0.4 percent of the total cap). If he doesn't make the roster, the Giants will be hit with a dead money charge of $833 this year and $1,667 next year from the post-June 1 transaction.
Miller may have won against his college competition, but there appears to be a lot of rough edges to his game that need fixing. As previously noted, he's not a classic in-line blocker, so he will have to make it as a receiver in a very crowded area, not just at the tight end spot but also among the receivers group.
Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons. She is the host of the LockedOn Giants podcast and the author of “The Big 50: New York Giants: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants” (Triumph Books).
