Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots selecting players out of the University of Alabama in the NFL Draft was seemingly an annual occurrence under Bill Belichick. His successor as de facto general manager, Eliot Wolf, has taken a different approach: the Patriots picked 26 players before turning to the Crimson Tide for the first time.
The player to get the honor of ending a drought that actually extended all the way back to the 2021 draft was running back Jam Miller.
Name: Jam Miller
Position: Running back
Jersey number: 30
Opening day age: 22 (4/29/2004)
Measurements: 5’10 1/4”, 209 lbs, 8 3/4” hand size, 30 3/8” arm length, 74 1/4” wingspan, 4.42s 40-yard dash, 30 1/2” vertical jump, 9’7” broad jump, 7.44 Relative Athletic Score
NFL: New England Patriots (2026-) | College: Alabama (2022-25)
A standout both on the gridiron and the track, Miller was rated a four-star recruit coming out of high school. Receiving scholarship offers from some of the top programs in the country, he initially committed to stay in his home state but flipped from Texas to Alabama during his senior season at Tyler Legacy High School in Tyler, TX.
Miller spent his entire four-year career with the Crimson Tide but was used in a depth role early on. After registering 74 carries in his first 26 games between 2022 and 2023, he upped his workload as a junior and began seeing regular action. As a consequence, he he led Alabama in rushing yards both season and finished his college career with 349 total carries for 1,596 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Despite some solid production particularly the last two seasons, Miller entered the 2026 NFL Draft as a projected late-round pick. He eventually heard his name called 245th overall in the seventh round by the Patriots.
Strengths: Miller looks like he was built in the running back factory. Standing at 5-foot-10 and 209 pounds, he offers a muscular, filled-out frame. He has an element of power to his game that allows him to break tackles even while not the most fleet-footed of runners. His cuts are decisive and he has impressive long speed (87th percentile 40-yard dash), all while bringing a “fight for every yard” mindset to the game. Miller furthermore offers some special teams experience and only fumbled the ball twice (1 lost) on 389 touches in college football’s top conference.
Weaknesses: Miller is not the quickest back and also did not take advantage of his speed as regularly as you would like to see; despite offering 4.42-speed he was not a reliable home-run hitter at Alabama. He also needs work on his pad level and contact balance, and even after 50 college games is underdeveloped in terms of vision and feel for block development. The same can be said about his work in pass protection — he gave up pressures on 10.3% of his reps and showed no tangible improvement in this area — and as a receiver.
2025...
