A Prince in The Castle

June 4, 2010 7:26 AM by Dan Kolko View Comments

At 5-8, 198 pounds, Prince Miller looks like he should be taking notes in high school chemistry, not battling for a spot on an NFL roster.

Yet, that's exactly what the undrafted rookie cornerback is doing this summer - lining up against players nearly a foot taller than him and trying to show the Ravens' coaches that he can hang with the big boys.

For the most part, Miller has done just that so far in minicamps, batting passes down, holding his ground in coverage and displaying a physical nature that is somewhat surprising when it comes from such a small guy.

The stakes and level of competition might be higher for Miller than they have been in the past, but the Georgia product has gotten used to being the shortest guy on the field and needing to prove himself.

"Playing where I played, you play against a lot of guys who are tall," Miller said. "That's something that I've been dealing with my whole career, playing against guys who are big. It's just something you get used to. You just learn your strengths and weaknesses. You've got to put yourself in the right position and do things better that they don't do."

Things like turning on the jets and utilizing his 4.39 speed to intercept a pass and take it back for a touchdown. That was Miller yesterday, as he jumped a route and picked off quarterback Dominic Randolph during seven-on-seven drills.

Miller also turned heads last week when he went up for a ball and ripped it out of the hands of rookie tight end Dennis Pitta, who, by the way, stands eight inches taller than the cornerback.

John Harbaugh noted this week that Miller got off to a fast start in minicamps, something that the Ravens' head coach says is partly due to the level of competition that the cornerback played against in college.

"Being in that kind of program [like Georgia] does help guys, no doubt," Harbaugh said.

Having that strong SEC background certainly won't hurt Miller as he tries to make it at the NFL level, and neither will his versatility.

Miller comes to the Ravens with some special teams experience, and could be in the mix for the team's punt return job. He returned 29 punts for 433 yards (a 14.9 yard average for you non-math gurus out there) and a touchdown at Georgia, and sees the return game as an area where he could make an impact with the Ravens.

"That's part of my game, returning kicks, so I know I'll have an opportunity to do that," Miller said. "I just want to help out any way I can. I want to show that I'm a player on the field, I can go special teams, anywhere they need me. The return game is big and I'll just try my best."

Miller is aware of the Ravens' history with undrafted free agents, and knows that like Bart Scott, Will Demps, Priest Holmes, Dannell Ellerbe and many others, he and the other non-draftees will have a chance to crack the roster if they can show the coaches enough over the next couple months.

"Those are all the things you look at when you come into a great organization like this," Miller said. "We all have a good opportunity, so we're just trying to go out and do the best we can."