Rookie Profile: Kendre Miller

Kendre Miller - RB - TCU

NFL Draft Capital:

New Orleans Saints Round 3, Pick 8 - 71st Overall

ATG MVP Sports

Listed Measurables:

Height: 5’11"

Weight: 215 lbs

Arms: 32 3/8"

Hands: 9 3/8"

Draft Age: 21.0 Y/O

Early Declare: Yes

Breakout Age: 19.1

BMI: 30.0

2023 NFL Combine Grades:

40-Yard Dash: 4.58s*

10-Yard Split: N/A

Vertical Jump: N/A

Broad Jump: N/A

3 Cone Drill: N/A

20 Yd Shuttle: N/A

Bench Press: N/A

*Kendre Miller did not participate in the 2023 NFL Combine but has recorded a laser-timed 40-Yard Dash of 4.58s at TCU.

Career Notes:

Kendre Miller was born in the small town of Mount Enterprise, Texas with a population of under 500 people. Miller attended the county high school where he would become something of a local legend while playing both sides of the football as a Wildcat Quarterback and Outside Linebacker. In only two seasons of starting for the varsity team, Miller rushed for 4,611 yards and 54 touchdowns while accumulating 128 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, five sacks, one interception and three fumble recoveries on defense.

Miller received a two-star recruitment rating, with most schools labeling the raw two-way player with an ATH (Athlete) distinction rather than a true positional designation as an RB or LB.

Ultimately, the young Texas prospect would stay close to home, committing to TCU where he would spend the entirety of his collegiate career.

Accolades:

• Led TCU in Rushing Touchdowns (7) as a true sophomore (2021)

• Averaged 7.5 yards per carry as a true sophomore, placing fourth all-time at the program in a single season (2021)

• Career-high 185 rushing yards and three touchdowns on only 12 carries (15.4 YPC) in the 52-31 win at Texas Tech, setting the highest YPC for a single game (min 10 carries) in the NCAA (2021)

• Doak Walker Award Semi-Finalist (2022)

Past Production/Collegiate Career:

Miller entered a loaded TCU running back room where he would be forced to sit behind established starter Darwin Barlow and unanimous 5-Star Running Back recruit and fellow true-freshman/2023 NFL Draftee Zach Evans. Furthermore, quarterback Max Duggan’s propensity to play keeper on read options with a team-leading 116 rush attempts left little room for freshman development. Miller received minimal playing time and usage as a true freshman but showed impressive efficiency with his touches, rushing for 388 yards and two touchdowns on 54 carries (7.2 YPC). His first and only reception as a true freshman came at a net loss of four yards.

The following season, Miller would step up into a split role with Zach Evans, eventually taking over as the starter once the latter of the running mates was forced to miss four games due to leg injuries. Miller would lead the team in rushing touchdowns (7), accumulating 623 rushing yards on 83 attempts (7.5 YPC) while adding 12 receptions for 117 yards (9.8 YPR) and one receiving touchdown. A major change in personnel would be needed for Miller to truly break out for an entire season. With Duggan once again leading the team in rush attempts (105) and 5th-year senior Emari Demercado taking on a large workload (108 touches) it appeared as if Miller would be nothing more than a career committee back with menial NFL upside. One fateful evening on January 6th of 2022 would change the entire outlook of TCU’s offense and every prospect mentioned above.

Zach Evans would shock the collegiate football world with an announcement to transfer from TCU to Ole Miss for his junior season, leaving Kendre Miller as the standalone starter on a run-heavy offense looking to make a monumental push to the top of the rankings. In his final season with the team, Miller would rack up 1399 rushing yards on 224 attempts (6.4 YPC) with 17 rushing touchdowns while adding 16 receptions for 116 yards (7.3 YPR). The former two-way tweener established himself as a brute force workhorse, surpassing Duggan and all other TCU players in rushing attempts by a whopping 77 carries.

Miller proved to be a key cog in TCU’s Cinderella story run to the national championship but was forced to miss the team’s final contest due to injury, leaving the team without their top weapon against an overpowering Georgia defense.

The same injuries would hold Miller out of testing during the 2023 NFL Combine but would not have a great effect on his draft capital. The Saints grabbed Miller at pick eight of the 3rd round, adding the young 21-year-old running back to a well-established core of veterans, an all too familiar path for the former TCU standout.

Stats to Know:

Frogsowar.com

• 36 Breakaway Rush Attempts (>20 Yards) and 109.0 Avoided Tackles on 361 Carries. 

• Average Breakaway Rush Rate of 46.7, per PFF, trailing only Jahmyr Gibbs (47.2) in the 2023 NFL Draft Class.

• Accumulated 1344 Yards After Contact (3.72 YACo/ATT) across three seasons at TCU.

• Averaged 5.06 Yards Created per Attempt, ranked 3rd in the 2023 NFL Draft Class.

2020 Stats:

9 GP

54 CAR

13.3% RSH Share

388 YDS (2 TD)

7.2 YPC

17.8% RSH YDS Share

0.95 RSH YDS/TA

1 REC

0.01% REC Share

3 TGT

0.01% TGT Share

-4 YDS (0 TD)

0.01 RY/TPA 

0.0% REC YDS Share

-4.0 YPR

0.0% REC TD Share

55 Touches

384 Scrimmage Yards (2 Total TD)

7.0 YPT

0.09% Total OFF. YDS Share

0.06% Total OFF. TDS Share

42.7 Scrimmage YPG

2021 Stats:

10 GP

83 CAR

17.8% RSH Share

623 YDS (7 TD)

7.5 YPC

26.1% RSH YDS Share

1.33 RSH YDS/TA

12 REC

6.0% REC Share

12 TGT

3.8% TGT Share

117 YDS (1 TD)

0.38 RY/TPA 

4.0% REC YDS Share

9.8 YPR

5.2% REC TD Share

95 Touches

740 Scrimmage Yards (8 Total TD)

14.1% Total OFF. YDS Share

20.0% Total OFF. TDS Share

7.8 YPT

74.0 Scrimmage YPG

2022 Stats:

14 GP

224 CAR

40.7% RSH Share

1399 YDS (17 TD)

6.2 YPC

47.7% RSH YDS Share

2.54 RSH YDS/TA

16 REC

5.4% REC Share

22 TGT

4.8% TGT Share

116 YDS (0 TD)

0.25 RY/TPA 

2.9% REC YDS Share

7.3 YPR

0.0% REC TD Share

240 Touches

1515 Scrimmage Yards (17 Total TD)

22.0% Total OFF. YDS Share

24.3% Total OFF. TDS Share

6.3 YPT

108.2 Scrimmage YPG

Collegiate Career Totals:

33 GP

361 RSH

26.3% RSH Share

2410 YDS (26 TD)

6.7 YPC

29 REC

37 TGT

2.9% TGT Share

229 YDS (1 TD)

7.9 YPR

390 Touches

3639 Scrimmage Yards (39 Total TD)

6.8 YPT

79.97 YPG

118.1 Elusive Rating

Collegiate Career Bests:

14 GP

224 CAR

40.7% RSH Share

1399 YDS (17 TD)

7.5 YPC

47.7% RSH YDS Share

2.54 RSH YDS/TA

16 REC

5.4% REC Share

22 TGT

4.8% TGT Share

116 YDS (0 TD)

0.25 RY/TPA 

2.9% REC YDS Share

9.8 YPR

0.1% REC TD Share

240 Touches

1515 Scrimmage Yards (17 Total TD)

22.0% Total OFF. YDS Share

24.3% Total OFF. TDS Share

7.8 YPT

108.2 Scrimmage YPG

Scouting Report:

NFL Draft Grade: 5.97 (Average Backup or Special Teamer)

Next-Gen Draft Grade: 80 (Good)

NFL Production Score: 81 (2023 Draft Class Rank: 4th)

NFL Athletic Score: 80 (2023 Draft Class Rank: 7th)

NFL Total Score: 80 (2023 Draft Class Rank: 6th)

Scouting Strengths:

DKNation

• Above-average size and strength for an NFL running back.

• Strong lower half allows him to fight through tough tackles for additional yardage.

• Incredibly efficient with each carry.

• Patient and controlled decision-maker with excellent vision.

• Makes seamless changes of direction in tight spaces.

• Sneaky agility and contact balance.

• Equally adept at moving laterally and vertically. Makes side-to-side movements at ease.

• Capable of handling a 3-down workhorse load as shown in his final season at TCU.

• Top-tier breakaway runner despite limited straight-line speed.

Scouting Weaknesses:

• Limited pass-catcher with minimal repetitions in college.

• Will not beat NFL defensive backs down the sideline.

• Several scouts report noticeable tightness in hips along with a propensity to run upright into defenders.

• Lacks the ability to change gears and find a second burst at the third level.

• Not a typical outside zone runner. Works best between the tackles in tight spaces.

• Does not showcase natural hands or pass-blocking ability to elevate his skill set.

• Leads with his feet instead of his shoulder pads.

Top NFL Player Comparisons:

Isaiah Spiller

J.K. Dobbins

Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Devin Singletary

Joe Mixon

Josh Kelley

AJ Dillon

Ronald Jones

Samaje Perine

Darrell Henderson

D’Onta Foreman

James Conner

Future NFL/Fantasy Outlook: 

Miller is no stranger to battling his way to the top of an established committee. His 3rd-round draft capital helps to round an above-average collegiate profile, painting a picture of a player with legitimate upside as a pure-rushing threat in the NFL. The Saints will enter the season with Jamaal Williams and Alvin Kamara atop the depth chart, allowing a slow development process for the young 21-year-old rookie. It is worth noting that Kamara’s legal troubles and Williams' age (despite coming off a 17-touchdown season) may play major factors in Miller gaining immediate relevance on the Saints offense.

Miller’s plus size and junior season production help check off several analytical boxes that point to positive trends for the Saints newest running back. Unfortunately, his lack of elite traits and athleticism could limit the former TCU star into a low-efficiency back, relying on monumental opportunity shares to support minimal fantasy points. Furthermore, the rookie’s current value on third downs and in passing situations is relatively unknown if not non-existent. 

Miller’s profile suggests a career ceiling similar to volume backs such as James Conner or Joe Mixon but with the downside of Ronald Jones and Josh Kelley.

Much respect, thank you for reading. If you have any continued thoughts and would like to share, I am always available for an open conversation on Twitter: @PsychWardFF or Instagram: @psychwardff.

You can find my other works as the Lead Writer and DOC at BRoto Fantasy Football.

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By Matt Ward