Miles Killebrew is an intriguing hybrid player out of Southern Utah. A well decorated 4 year starter for the Thunderbirds, Killebrew was a feared enforcer both at the line of scrimmage and in the secondary, and a reputable special teams player. A combine top performer, Miles led his group in the bench press, verticle jump, and the broad jump. Scouts felt his compact body passed the eye test as well. Graded as a 3rd or 4th round pick, Miles was selected by the Detroit Lions in the 4th round. He is expected to spend time both at safety and at linebacker for the team. Miles finished his rookie campaign with 28 tackles, 1 pass deflection, and an interception for 7 yards. He started 3 games in 2017, (while playing in all 16 contests) and recorded 38 tackles, 5 pass deflections, 1 forced fumble- and an interception, that he returned for 35 yards for a TD in the opener against the Cardinals.
Currently, the Lions seem perplexed as to where to shift Miles to in their defensive alignment. They like his skillset, but the franchise seems torn between keeping him at safety or moving him closer to the line of scrimmage and working him at linebacker.
Considered a premiere receiver coming out of the SEC, a broken foot derailed Keon Hatcher’s aspirations for the NFL. Granted a 5th year medical redshirt, Keon returned to the lineup and led the Razorback receiving corps. He finished his 5 years with Arkansas with 130 receptions for 1866 yards and 19 TDs. His combine results drew comparisons to former Texans receiver Jalen Strong. Hatcher was not selected in the 2017 NFL Draft. He signed as a free agent with the Oakland Raiders, and caught a spectacular pass from EJ Manuel during the preseason. Although he was cut by the Raiders, Hatcher impressed enough during camp that he was brought back to the teams’ practice squad.
Keon had an outstanding 2018 preseason, catching 3 TDs in the preseason finale. He made the roster but was cut after the first game in favor of Martavius Bryant. The Lions signed him to their practice squad about a week later, but he was released the following day. Currently Keon is a free agent.
It’s a small world. My family had been harassing me about getting a new insurance agent for a while, so I decided to take my father-in-law’s advice and check out his insurance agent at State Farm. It turned out that it was none other than Blake Miller, former offensive lineman. He came up to work to pitch me on life insurance and other amenities that State Farm offered and we ended up talking about football and the upcoming Super Bowl. He was cheering on the Patriots because he was a former member of the team. We then talked about the good old days of football. I told him that I was a football enthusiast and autograph card collector and he dropped this bad boy out to me in the mail. (He was really amazed at the depth of knowledge I had for many of his former teammates from that era- especially the early 1990s Patriots.)
Blake Miller played for LSU in college. He was a two year starter and letterman for the Tigers at center. A 7th round pick of the New England Patriots in 1991, he started a career high 5 games for the Detroit Lions in 1992 (played in 12), before finishing his career with the New York Giants in 1993. Post NFL, and pre-insurance, Blake climbed the coaching ranks. A seasoned positional coach, he saw fruitful stints at Rice, Texas State, and Northwestern State.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
Card: Sage 2016
