Background
Christen Miller grew up in Ellenwood, Georgia, and attended Cedar Grove High School, where he helped win two GHSA Class 3A state championships in 2019 and 2021 and earned GHSA Class 3A Defensive Player of the Year from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as a senior. The defining chapter of his prep career came earlier, when a knee injury that required screws prompted a doctor to tell him he might never play football again, sending him into a depression during which he gained 30 to 50 pounds in three months, turned to acting, YouTube, and making music. Miller questioned his faith before a six-month checkup cleared him to return, and he started every game of a state title run as a sophomore. Rivals ranked him as a consensus four-star recruit and No. 76 nationally, and he committed to Georgia on February 2, 2022, choosing the Bulldogs over Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, and Miami, while also being selected for the All-American Bowl. He appeared in four games as a redshirt freshman on the 2022 national championship team and played all 13 games in a reserve role in 2023, nearly entering the transfer portal before former defensive coordinator Will Muschamp convinced him to stay. A reckless driving citation in March 2023, clocked at 95 in a 65, earned him early-morning workouts, a fine, and community service from Kirby Smart. His patience paid off: he started 10 of 12 games in 2024, and as a full-time starter in 2025 posted 23 tackles, 4 TFL, 1.5 sacks, and a team-leading 23 quarterback hurries, earning AP First-Team All-SEC honors. He majored in housing management and policy, holds the Richard Seymour Family Scholarship, and declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Physical Attributes
Miller did not take part in any athletic testing at either the combine or his pro day. He officially stood in at 6'3" and 321 lbs. Miller does not look like he carries any of that weight in the wrong places. He has great upper body strength and can use his arms to keep leverage on blockers, if not entirely throw them off of him. His lower body is strong and provides a solid base for him to anchor, but does not make any major moves pushing forward. Has phenomenal agility for someone his size, paired with decent speed and acceleration.
Data and Tape Analysis
If you are unfamiliar with my DT radar charts, you can find more information here
There is something interesting hiding beneath this radar chart. Miller had one individual game rated as an 80 or above in run defense grade, but rated the totality of his season as a 90.2. I point that out because I struggle to see why they would have Miller rated so high as a run defender.
Do not get me wrong, I think Miller is a good run defender, but not one of the best in CFB kind of good. He has a good anchor which lets him stay at the point of attack. He can get some small pushback on the IOL who try to block him, and double teams have an effect, but not a huge one. The being said, I do not know if it is the defensive scheme or his style, but Miller is out of position a lot. It looks like he tries to guess running lanes, and too often, for my liking, loses his sight on the ball carrier. Then even if everything is working on that snap, he misses tackles too often. Again, he is good, but not amazing at it.
As a pass rusher though, I fell like PFF underrates him! He has fantastic movement skills for someone his size. His agility and strength make it look easy for him out there against IOL as he swats them away, or steps past them like they are nothing. Miller does not have great closing speed once free to the QB, but that pressure straight up the gut has a ton of value. His bull rush is ok, and he looks for gaps a lot, but again, I do not know if that is by design or just how he plays. If it is how he plays, he will need to change it as any coach will scold him for letting Lamar Jackson having a hole to run straight through the middle.
Grade and Outlook
Miller looks like a prospect who will offer positive, if sometimes frustrating, production in the NFL. His inconsistencies will be maddening to watch, but the highlight plays he pairs them with could balance out. A 22 year old by the time the season starts, development is in his future, and as long as Kirby Smart did not ruin his body over the last four years, I feel solid about betting on some improvement.
Grade: 5.6 (Late 2nd Rounder / Early 3rd Rounder)
