Davonte Miles, Wolverine

Davonte Miles, Wolverine


December 18, 2020
River Rouge (MI) River Rouge DT Davonte Miles (image via 247 Sports)

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River Rouge (MI) River Rouge defensive tackle Davonte Miles committed to Michigan on Friday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan State, and Pitt, among others.

Miles is listed at 6’5″ and 275 lbs.

RANKINGS
ESPN: N/A
Rivals: 3-star SDE, 5.5 grade,
247 Sports: 3-star, 86 grade, #45 DT

Hit the jump for more.

Miles was offered by Michigan back in May during the COVID shutdown. I don’t know that he made a visit to Michigan’s campus in the meantime, but being an in-state guy with a chance to stay close to home, he went ahead and committed.

Miles is a somewhat tantalizing project. River Rouge has 6’3″, 324 lb. Pius Odjugo (Central Michigan commit) in the middle of the defensive line, so they can afford to move Miles around from defensive tackle all the way out to a stand-up defensive end spot. He’s certainly an interior guy at the next level, but he would be a load to handle coming off the edge for high schoolers. Miles shows intermittent ability to bend and has decent athleticism.

Technique-wise, Miles has some work to do. He’s not consistent with his hands, and he tends to reach for tackles rather than sinking his hips and breaking down. He can bend, but he doesn’t always do it. Playing a defensive end spot doesn’t do him many favors for the next level, because he’s not getting necessary reps taking on double-teams and defeating blocks as a 3-tech. From an effort standpoint, it seems like Miles plays tentatively. He doesn’t sell out to make tackles, he doesn’t finish tackles, he doesn’t always wrap up, etc. It just seems like he grabs ahold of ball carriers and hopes to hold on long enough until somebody else can get in on the tackle.

Overall, Miles is a big body, which is nice. Michigan needs those. He’s a work in progress, though. I’m reminded of former Michigan defensive lineman Renaldo Sagesse, a Canadian who rounded into an okay backup before embarking on a career in the CFL.

Michigan now has four commits in the 2022 class, joining fellow in-state defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren, linebacker Tyler Martin, and tight end Marlin Klein. Miles would be the first player for Michigan to come from River Rouge, a program that produces occasional FBS prospects, such as Wisconsin safety Reggie Pearson.

TTB Rating: I will not give a TTB Rating until the 2021 class is finalized.

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