Everyone knew the Raiders were going to take a chance on a mid to late-round quarterback in this year’s draft, but the selection of North Dakota State’s Cam Miller still came as somewhat of a surprise on Saturday.
Many believed Ohio State quarterback Will Howard was going to be the pick because of his connection to offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, and according to Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter, it probably came down to those quarterbacks at the end of the draft for the Raiders.
Listening to Carpenter on his daily podcast, it sounds like the Raiders might view Miller as a little more than a hopeful backup quarterback.
“They really liked Cam [Miller]. They brought him in for a top 30 visit. They really liked him a lot. And so I believe, this is [my] opinion, that they thought Will Howard or Cam… they would be happy [with] late. It worked out that they just had some other guys drop that they didn’t expect to drop, and you see Howard and you see Miller still on the board. You’re like, ‘Well, okay, I’m going to take these guys because people are dropping.'” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
“They were thrilled with Cam. The Raiders did not have a sixth-round grade on him at all. I can tell you that factually,” Hondo continued. “So to be able to get him in this in the sixth round was a steal. Am I sitting here saying he’s the Raiders quarterback of the future? No, I am not. Am I saying he could be? Yes.”
It would be interesting to know what round the Raiders graded Miller, but the fifth round probably makes the most sense. If they had him much higher than that, it’s unlikely GM John Spytek would have been willing to wait until the sixth round to take him.
Every indication in recent months is that Tom Brady was going to be heavily involved in the Raiders’ decision on drafting a quarterback, so it’s probably a safe assumption that Brady saw qualities in Miller that remind him a little of himself – if not from a physical standpoint, definitely from a mental standpoint.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler broke down Miller in his popular draft guide and it sounds like the former NDSU quarterback definitely has qualities that are going to sit well with Brady…
This was Brugler on Miller…
“A four-year starter at North Dakota State, Miller was the point guard of former offensive coordinator Jake Landry’s run-heavy scheme (averaged just 21.9 pass attempts per game). A two-time FCS national champion as a starter (2022 and 2024), he set school records for career passing yards (9,720), completions (759) and total offense (11,997)…
Miller is an intelligent game manager who takes what the defense gives him and relies on timing and placement over pure arm power. The son of a football coach, his mental approach and on-field production showed improvements each season, although he will continue to have his doubters because of the level of competition he faced. Overall, Miller won’t wow you right away because the physical traits are average. The more you watch, though, the more you come to appreciate his decision-making and feel for the position. He can be an asset in an NFL quarterback room as a reserve.”
x: @raidersbeat
Ohio st. V ND st. Comparison? lmao
Great logic there. smh
I would agree, except Howard’s OC at Ohio St was sitting in the Raiders draft room. Maybe he knows his game a little better?
Very good point.
But there were far better options than ND st.
It reminds of me Pete Carroll’s first draft with Seattle. Everyone thought he would take Taylor Mays because he coached him but he went with Earl Thomas. Turned out to be a good decision. I feel like if Howard was the guy for Kelly’s system then they would have made sure to get him.
I actually like Tommy Mellot better as a QB way better than Cam Miller. Tommy Mellot’s QB tape jumped off my 65 inch! He should stay at QB. He’s a dynamic playmaker. Cam Miller is not even in Mellott’s zip code. Yeah, Cam Miller and North Dakota State beat Montana State in the championship, but Mellott was by far the best player on the field. Big mistake not leaving him at QB even if he becomes the Julian Edelman
I actually like Tommy Mellot way better as a QB than Cam Miller. Tommy Mellot’s QB tape jumped off my 65 inch! I can see why they may want to convert him to WR, but
imo he should stay at QB. He’s a dynamic playmaker. Cam Miller is not even in Mellott’s zip code. Not even close. Yeah, Cam Miller and North Dakota State beat Montana State in the championship, but Mellott was by far the best player on the field. Big mistake not leaving him at QB even if he becomes the next Julian Edelman
You don’t declare players draft day “steals” based on the drafting team’s board. It would be like if the Raiders had taken Damon Arnette in the 3rd-4th round (closer to where the consensus had him), and declaring him a steal because the Raiders thought he was a first round prospect. It’s not a steal if you have an outlier grade on a player, it’s just a different opinion… You could say Brock Bowers was a steal because the consensus was that he was a top talent and the Raiders got him at #3, but even then….. I’d just as soon not declare any draft steals until the season starts. Because even though the Raiders did well from a draft value perspective, nobody would be calling Bowers a steal of he’d caught 25 passes for 270 yards last year.
*Er, #13 for Bowers