I can’t remember the last time I saw someone as happy to be in Foxborough as Jam Miller was this past weekend. That’s no knock on the town, but let’s face it, Patriot Place being the main draw doesn’t exactly compare to what other NFL destinations offer, especially for a 22-year-old.
But for Miller, just getting drafted was enough to put a smile on his face. In fact, he was so damn excited about the call from the front office that team PR couldn’t reach him to do a draft night Zoom with local media (not complaining).
“It’s a blessing to be in this position,” he said. “To be honest, I wasn’t expecting it. It was late in the round (#245 overall)… But, coming from the Patriots, it meant a lot. Now, I just want to come in and bust my tail off to earn a spot.”
This wasn’t the way that night in April was supposed to play out. Based on summer scouting, Miller was considered a top 3 to 5 back in this class. However, his senior year at Alabama went sideways before the regular season started. Miller was injured during practice in August and needed surgery to repair his collarbone, costing him the first three games.
“As I’m running to the outside, it was a safety, and I believe it was a ‘D’ end that came and tackled me. I had a ball high and tight. So I landed straight on the ball. … I didn’t actually feel like a pop or anything, but I got up, and I’m thinking it’s my shoulder, thinking I did something to my shoulder, telling the trainer it’s my shoulder or something.
“Then I started to feel it over here,” he added, running his hand along his collarbone. “Shoot, I’m holding my arm. I’m not trying to be a weak person. I’m trying to let practice finish, then go to the trainers…”
Forget the trainers. Miller ended up needing surgery. Upon his return, he had some
