4 Carolina Panthers players trending towards draft bust status
By Dean Jones
John Miller – Carolina Panthers OG
- Round No. 3 (No. 81 overall) – 2015 NFL Draft
Any draft pick in the top-100 represents a prospect good enough coming into the NFL to be considered a bust. When the Buffalo Bills selected promising guard John Miller in the third round back in 2015, they had real hopes he would solidify a starting spot for the foreseeable future.
Miller played four seasons in Buffalo before the organization decided he was not worth the financial outlay moving forward. However, he was given an $8.1 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals that didn’t end up being anything more than a short-term arrangement in 2019.
The Carolina Panthers took a gamble on Miller in 2020 and after some inconsistencies, was surprisingly brought back last spring on a team-friendly deal. If this was the former Louisville star’s last chance saloon, he failed to meet expectations and if those in power had any sense, he won’t be coming back for another year.
His “sacks happen” comment infuriated the team’s fanbase, who had to endure watching Miller become a human turnstile in pass protection en route to seven sacks conceded. The effort and urgency just weren’t there and it’s now best for both parties to go their separate ways.
Whether Miller gets another opportunity elsewhere remains to be seen. But it’s a hard sell based on his production over the last two years in Carolina.