The Patriots have never been shy about taking running backs in the draft even when their depth chart looks stocked at the position. Take the last two years in which they drafted Rhamondre Stevenson, Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris despite the presence of veteran players as an example.
That's why it's no surprise New England appears to be scoping out at least one big-time player at the position heading into the 2023 NFL Draft.
NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported Thursday that the Patriots have met with TCU running back Kendre Miller yesterday ahead of the school's Pro Day on Thursday. Miller will not be working out as he recovers from a torn MCL suffered in the College Football Playoff Semi-final, but he's reportedly well ahead of schedule in his rehab.
If the injury pushes Miller down toward the Patriots' third-round pick (No. 76), the junior running back could be an incredible addition to the team's backfield.
The 6-foot, 206-pound back only had one year as a starter in college, but he made the most of it, totaling 1,515 yards from scrimmage (1,399 rushing, 116 receiving) and 17 scores on the ground to help the Horned Frogs make the College Football Playoff.
His game feels of a more explosive version of Stevenson's, predicated on slippery, elusive cuts near the line of scrimmage, toughness to churn through tackles and a home-run hitting gear when he gets into the open field.
He wasn't necessarily a dominant third-down pass-catcher in college, catching just 16 passes in total, and several scouting reports call him a work in progress when it comes to pass protection. But once he gets the ball in his hands, he's hard to get on the ground.
Sound familiar?
Especially if the Patriots are indeed confident in Ty Montgomery's ability to return and serve as a third-down back to take some pressure off of Stevenson, one could see Miller soon getting burn as Stevenson's primary early-down replacement. Even though he's not extremely different from a stylistic standpoint, his added burst could still serve as a change of pace for New England.
It also wouldn't necessarily doom Strong to missing the roster, especially given the 2021 fourth-round pick's utility as a special-teamer last year. If we're keeping it real, though, Miller is simply better.
After watching Stevenson wear down after taking on an incredibly heavy workload toward the end of last season, finding a back that can spell him reliably is absolutely a must this off-season. Miller would do that for certain and could even eventually serve as a leverage for when the time comes to pay Stevenson next year.
In the meantime, though, he would probably get Patriots fans excited from the first time he touched the football in training camp.
