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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 28, ISSUE 4 46 Miller is the element Purdue's looking for, as Jeff Brohm and his staff want mo- bility, length and athleticism in pass-pro- tection on the edges. If the trade-off is raw size and power, then so be it, athleticism is too important to what they want to do. Miller possesses towering height and significant length, but is pretty narrow physically and clearly will need time to de- velop. But he can add significant bulk and functional strength relatively quickly while redshirting next season, his athleticism could earn him a long look come 2019. Height: 6-7 Weight: 270 High School: William Mason Hometown: Mason, Ohio Senior Stats: n/a E ric Miller has room to develop. And already, he's 6-foot-7, 270 pounds. But considering the offensive tackle won't turn 18 until June 29, about a week before he's likely to arrive on Purdue's campus, it seems reasonable to think he'll quickly get bigger and stronger. "I can't wait to see him the first time he comes back from Purdue, after about six months being away," William Mason coach Brian Castner said. "He's maybe 270 on a good day, but I just think he's going to put great weight on, all lean muscle, on top of what he's done here at a young age. I'm really jacked about seeing that when it comes next December and I'm saying, 'Holy mother … '" Purdue loves Miller's athleticism now, a reason why it offered after a June camp, with him accepting less than a week later over offers from MAC and Ivy League schools. "I like his ability to move and change direction and bend," Brohm said, "and I think he'll be a very good player." Miller was thrown in as a starter at tackle as a junior, having to learn as he went along, per Castner, and it wasn't until about Game 3 as a senior that he started to play with an edge. "He was just mauling people at times midseason," Castner said, "and that never really kind of died off." It'll take time for Miller to continue to develop. "He's not going to be an impact player for Purdue right now and I've told Jeff that," Castner said. "I said, 'Jeff, he's going to be a two-year starter, be there his junior and senior year,' and Jeff said that (Purdue) would get three starting years out of him. … He wanted to bet me on that." The Purdue Fit Did You Know? Miller is a starting forward on Mason's basketball team. Eric Miller Offensive lineman "An offensive tackle who played light in high school and will need to add weight and strength without sacrificing agility and athlet- icism. You need athletic tackles who can kick out and handle speedy defensive ends without giving up strength." — Midwest analyst Josh Helmholdt rivals.com take