Kolton Miller is mired in a rough patch.
It’s not due to lack of talent or ability, size or natural strength. Plain and simple: The Raiders' rookie left tackle is banged up pretty good. He has a knee injury that can’t get right and a troublesome elbow that also requires a brace.
That makes life hard. The first-round draft pick from UCLA is tough and not a complainer, battling through injuries despite knowing full well he’s better when healthy.
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Miller also is the Raiders’ best option at left tackle even when he's feeling suboptimal, so he grinds through the week to perform the best he can every Sunday.
“My goal is to have a good game even when I’m not feeling my best,” Miller said last week, before Sunday’s loss to the L.A. Chargers. “Most of the time, you’re not going to be 100 percent healthy. You have to work your way through it.”
Miller is grinding through the season, while compiling stats he’d rather not see on his ledger.
NFL
Miller allowed a sack, two quarterback hits and five other pressures in the 20-6 loss to the Chargers, continuing a poor run of pressures allowed that unsurprisingly coincides with his knee issues.
He has allowed 39 total pressures this season, according to analytics site Pro Football Focus, including 10 sacks and four quarterback hits. The sack total is the NFL’s highest by three. He gave up six sacks when his knee was at its worst, during games at the Chargers and against the Seahawks in London.
Miller was awesome to start the season, way back when he was healthy. That's why most evaluators believe he'll be a standout pro. Injuries, however, have sapped his effectiveness.
Miller allowed five total pressures in 117 pass-block snaps over the season’s first three games, per PFF, before he suffered a serious MCL sprain in his right knee. That’s his anchor leg, and losing strength there makes Miller susceptible to bull rushes.
The Raiders keep pushing Miller out there -- losing veteran tackle Donald Penn to IR was a real blow -- believing he can emerge from this storm a stronger player.
“I think what you’re dealing with (in) Miller is one of the most mentally tough kids that you will find,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said. “I think he’s gaining strength from playing. I think he’s really learning a lot about this business the hard way. Not only losing, not only playing hurt, playing from behind a lot, but learning how to play well against great rushers when you’re not at your best."
“That’s really the definition of a lot of these great pro football players. A lot of these guys don’t feel good after Week 2 or 3. For that young man to go out there and give us all that he’s given us under these circumstances is really exciting.”