Dean Miller

EDGE·Transfer#340 overall

★★★ recruitKansas → UCFModel Score 63.4

Updated August 24, 2026

Draft Movement

#195 · Jun 8#340 · now

Down 145 spots since Jun 8

Scouting Report

Dean Miller is a Kansas edge rusher whose 2024 junior breakout put him on NFL radars as a productive, twitchy speed-rusher off the Jayhawks' defensive front. Miller started all 12 games at defensive end in 2024 and posted a career-high 6.0 sacks, which tied for sixth-most in the Big 12 Conference, while adding 32 tackles and 10.0 tackles for loss to earn Second Team All-Big 12 honors. That production landed him on the Senior Bowl's Top 300 watch list, where evaluators narrowed more than 2,000 prospects to a selective group, and scouts have repeatedly tagged him as a Kansas evaluation worth tracking, describing him as a spry edge rusher. He projects as a late-Day-3 or priority-free-agent flier in the 2027 class, generally graded as a Day 3 edge defender. The appeal is the disruptive get-off and bend that let him win the corner and rack up backfield production against Big 12 tackles, and his motor shows up in pursuit. The questions are typical for a smaller-school speed rusher: a developing pass-rush plan, room to add functional play strength and length, and the need to prove he can set a firm edge against the run on every down. A strong, healthy senior season as a full-time starter will determine whether he climbs into a drafted range or profiles as a rotational designated rusher at the next level.

Strengths

Career-high 6.0 sacks in 2024, tied for sixth-most in the Big 12 Conference
Disruptive 10.0 tackles for loss and consistent backfield penetration as a junior
Started all 12 games at defensive end, durable and dependable as a full-time edge
Spry, twitchy get-off off the line that lets him threaten the edge
Active motor that shows up in pursuit and chase-down effort
Second Team All-Big 12 honoree and Senior Bowl Top 300 selection
Productive against Power Four competition in the Big 12
Projects as an edge defender on 2027 draft boards

Weaknesses

Developing, still-thin pass-rush plan that needs more counters and hand-usage refinement
Likely needs to add functional play strength to anchor and set a firm edge versus the run
Modest overall sack and tackle volume keeps his profile in the late-round range
Run-defense projection unproven against NFL-caliber tackles down to down
Generally graded in the Day 3 or priority-free-agent range
Frame and length questions, with no public testing numbers to ease athletic projection

NFL Comparison

Andre Carter II (lean, spry get-off edge whose game leans on speed over power); Janarius Robinson (developmental Big 12 edge with bend and motor); Carl Granderson (productive college speed rusher needing strength to hold the edge)