4 diamonds in the rough Texas football can find in the portal
Dreshun Miller, CB
There are a few decent options for the Longhorns worth pursuing among defensive backs that remain available in the transfer portal at this point of the offseason. And given the fact that Texas could use more depth in the secondary ahead of next season, they could extract a good amount of value by adding more DBs this summer.
A good option that remains available in the portal at the cornerback position for the Longhorns is the former Auburn and West Virginia Mountaineers redshirt senior defensive back Dreshun Miller. This former underrated three-star recruit is a former Big 12 foe of the Longhorns. Miller faced the Longhorns during the shortened 2020 COVID-19 season. That was his most productive season in college to date.
During the 2020 season, Miller registered more than 30 combined tackles, no tackles for loss, no sacks, one interception, a whopping nine pass breakups, and eight stops. Miller was targeted a whopping 38 times in pass coverage. But he allowed a completion percentage under 50 in 2020, along with an NFL QBR of 78.7
He was solid in pass coverage assignments in 2020. But he struggled to find the field much for the Tigers last season. Miller also didn’t stick around long enough for him to make his way into a significant role with the Auburn secondary.
Texas likely has their starters set at the top two cornerback spots for this fall. Super senior D’Shawn Jamison and rising redshirt sophomore Ryan Watts should be the starter for the Longhorns in Week 1. But it’s harder to figure out who the corners will be that fill out the two-deep beyond Watts and Jamison.
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That is where an experienced portal addition such as Miller could come into play. If Texas could get even close to a similar level of production this fall compared to what the Mountaineers got from him in 2020, this could be a very valuable depth addition to the defensive backfield, especially in pass coverage.