After two-and-a-half seasons anchoring the defense for Jackson State under head coach Deion Sanders, Aubrey Miller Jr. is hoping to hear his name called in the NFL Draft.
In a recent interview with NFL Now, Miller talked about what he learned from Deion Sanders.
“I learned how to be a pro. Being a pro speaks to a lot of levels – as far as character-wise, discipline-wise, being smart, being fast, being tough, disciplined – those things that we all went by, he made sure he installed that in us. Learning how to be a pro the way I talk, effort-wise, I mean you can’t be coached under him if you’re not giving the effort, running to the ball consistently. So he taught you a lot of things to get you ready for the pro level.”
Aubrey Miller Jr. was a four-star prospect out of high school in 2017. He played in ten games in 2018 collecting two tackles. In 2019 Miller suffered a knee injury early in the season and appeared in only one game picking up two tackles. He spent the rest of the season rehabbing his knee before opting out of the 2020 season and hitting the transfer portal.
Miller ended up landing at Jackson State as Deion Sanders was taking over the program. He was one of a handful of players who competed during Sanders’ entire tenure at JSU, from spring 2021 through fall 2022.
One of Miller’s Jackson State teammates in fall 2021 was James Houston. The former Florida star had a spectacular season at JSU and wound up being a sixth-round draft pick in 2022. He had a huge impact with the Detroit Lions over the last month of the season and is considered as one of the best finds in that draft. Miller says he’s hoping to have a similar impact at the next level.
“He just opened up the door for a lot of us. Not just me,” Miller said. “The thing is, though, we already know the type of position we are in, we have to keep working and let our play do the talking.”
Since the season ended, Miller had a standout moment at the Senior Bowl, and has performed solidly at Jackson State pro day. He’s also been working out with Rob Gronkowski (aka Gronk) as well as other NFL players in preparation for his pro opportunity.
“The dude is huge,” Miller said of Gronk. “He’s still staying consistent, being outside and working out.”