[Quesadilla Joe]

1. Von Miller, Texas A&M, 6-3, 246. This is a natural pass rusher in the mold of Derrick Thomas. Miller is fast and explosive, and he has a feel for defeating blockers and getting to quarterbacks. He has some versatility to play in any scheme but is light to be a down lineman against the run. Miller still is developing as a coverage player, but he has the quickness and athleticism to excel in his drops.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2...ers-von-miller

Miller, who's playing linebacker for the South in Mobile this week, is showing NFL scouts he can do more than rush the passer.

"They're playing him as a 4-3 outside linebacker here, and he has shown people he can be that guy," Mayock said. "Now all the sudden he's scheme-diverse. Thirty-two teams will like him, not only whatever teams are 3-4 teams. So he's really helped himself."

"He's really special," NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said of Miller, who is projected to be an early first-round pick in April's NFL draft. "He can almost get parallel to the ground. When he's running the arc, when he's bending and trying to get around an offensive tackle, and trying to drop (his) hips and get around, he almost defies gravity. It's amazing. I don't know how he does it, and he accelerates while he does it. He's a phenomenal pass rusher."

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2..._to_shine.html

A couple of weeks ago, Houston Chronicle reporter John McClain said that one NFL personnel man told him that every time he sees Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller play, it reminds him of the late Derrick Thomas.

Pretty high compliment, no?

Well apparently Miller caught wind of the comparison and decided to do his homework on the late Hall of Fame linebacker. According to National Football Post, Von Miller recently said:

"Right then and there, I looked him up and just watched him. I try to emulate some of the stuff he does. You can't do some of the stuff he does, but I try my hardest to be like Derrick Thomas."

When asked specifically about how he tries to be like Derrick Thomas, Miller said,

"Just his mentality about the game. I don't think it's his physical ability that I try to emulate. It's the way he played the game with a relentless fanatical effort with every play. That's what allowed him to make the plays that he made."

I remember Carl Peterson making a similar statement about Thomas' endurance and fanatical pursuit of the quarterback. When Peterson went to check out Derrick Thomas for the first time at Alabama, Peterson said DT was the first player who simply did not get tired during the drills. He kept coming back for more and more Peterson said. He almost couldn't get tired.

To all of you college prospects out there, there are few better people to emulate on the football field than the late, great Derrick Thomas.

http://www.arrowheadpride.com/2011/3...derrick-thomas