Jackson State LB Aubrey Miller: Detroit Lions’ James Houston ‘kicking down doors for us’

Detroit Free Press

MOBILE, Ala. — Aubrey Miller Jr. did not get to watch many Detroit Lions games this season, but the Jackson State linebacker kept close tabs on the team — and his good friend, James Houston — through social media.

Houston had eight sacks in seven games after opening the season on the Lions practice squad. He finished second among NFL rookies in sacks, behind teammate Aidan Hutchinson, played as an every-down defender late in the season, and as Miller begins his pre-draft journey now, he said Houston is a symbol of what he can become.

“He’s kicking down doors for us,” Miller said on Day 1 of Senior Bowl practice Tuesday. “A lot of things that’s going on right now, I don’t think it was possible before and he’s making it be able to be possible. So for us to come out here and perform and represent, and after that the things that he’s doing, like I said, he’s allowing doors to open so we’re going to have to keep knocking them down and then we’re going to keep this thing going for the guys that’s under us.”

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Miller’s circuitous journey to NFL draft prospect is similar to Houston’s in many ways.

Both started their college careers at Power 5 schools, Miller at Missouri, Houston at Florida. Both transferred to Jackson State, a Historically Black College and University, looking for playing time and a fresh start.

Both found success in revamped roles that better suit their skill sets, Houston as a pass rusher and Miller as weakside linebacker. And both left school knowing they had to convince scouts they could make it in the NFL as undersized linebackers coming from HBCUs.

“That’s my brother,” Miller said. “Since he got there, we already knew we had close to the same stories as far as getting a second chance, being able to play, and now this is our chance to make up for that opportunity that we did lose.”

Miller, who played in 21 games in three seasons at Missouri, started all five games at linebacker in Jackson State’s COVID-rescheduled spring season of 2021.

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He followed that up with an impressive fall, when he led the Southwestern Athletic Conference with 109 tackles and had 6.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss while playing alongside Houston at middle linebacker, then moved to weakside linebacker last season, where he had 117 tackles, 12 for loss, and forced five fumbles in 13 games.

Miller showed off his three-down ability last season, when he frequently was asked to cover running backs and tight ends, and that earned him an invite to the Senior Bowl as one of two HBCU players scheduled to play in Saturday’s game along with Florida A&M linebacker Isaiah Land.

To prepare for the game, Miller said he spent a half hour on the phone Monday with Houston, who played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl last winter.

“Biggest thing he was telling me was just go out to compete, play my game,” Miller said. “He was like, just because you see all these different names, it’s not something that you should just be paying attention to. (They’re in) the same game that you play. Just go balls to the wall, just make sure you learn your technique, make sure you do your assignment and everything else is going to fall in place.”

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On Tuesday, Miller was critical of his practice performance, saying he needs to be more disciplined with his eyes and had some small technique corrections to make overnight.

But he said whatever team drafts him will be getting a “great effort player” who will “learn what he has to learn to be able to dominate,” just like Houston did with the Lions this season.

“I’m just trying to show that I’m a great linebacker,” Miller said. “I’m a talented linebacker, I’m a great linebacker and I’m a smart linebacker and just because I’m from HBCU, that doesn’t judge me.”

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

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