Manatee alumnus Thor Miller might face undrafted free agent route to NFL

The NFL draft starts Thursday, and it isn’t the end-all, be-all for Manatee County football players.

Southeast High and University of Florida alumnus Brian Poole demonstrated what being a Hometown Hero is all about when he signed as a non-drafted free agent last year. Then Poole grew into a key contributor to the Atlanta Falcons, who lost in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots.

This year’s NFL mock drafts do not have anyone from Manatee County projected to go in the early rounds. For Manatee graduate Thor Miller, that likely means his NFL journey will have to follow Poole’s: sign as an undrafted free agent after the draft.

An offensive lineman at McNeese State, Miller didn’t allow a sack in his first two college seasons. But, NFL teams haven’t shown much interest as the draft approaches.

“I had a good pro day and the Rams scout worked me out, and gave me his info,” Miller said via a text message. “But that’s about it.”

Miller isn’t the only Hometown Hero this week.

Here’s a look at some others:

Dallas Jackson — The Tampa Bay Storm boast two Palmetto alumni on its Arena Football League roster. Jackson signed with the franchise in August and made his debut on April 15. Playing against Philadelphia, Jackson started at defensive back and notched five tackles and a pass breakup. Jackson was a key member on the Tigers’ defense during their run to the Class 5A state semifinals in 2011. He played his college football at Jacksonville University. The other former Palmetto High star with the Storm is wide receiver Joe Hills.

Granden Goetzman — In his seventh professional season, the Palmetto graduate is one step away from Major League Baseball. And he’s hitting the ball well at the moment. Earning an early-season promotion to Triple-A Durham, the Tampa Rays outfield prospect collected his first home run for the team on April 19. He’s hitting .333 over his last 10 games between Double-A Montgomery and Durham, and he hit safely in nine of those 10 games.

Jack Allison — The Palmetto alumnus is no longer with the Miami Hurricanes football program. After sitting out his freshman year to learn Miami’s offense under Mark Richt, Allison was vying for playing time at quarterback this year.

“Jack approached me and indicated that he felt like he would have more opportunities for playing time at another program,” Richt told the Miami Herald in a written statement. “We wish him all the best in his future plans.”

Desmond Lindsay — In his first season at Single-A Columbia in the New York Mets organization, Lindsay has struggled at the plate. Through 16 games, he is 7 for 53 (.132), but three of his hits are doubles. A center fielder, Lindsay’s defense has been on point. He made a diving catch to rob Rome’s Brett Cumberland of a hit on April 18.

Kyra Klarkowski — The Lakewood Ranch alumnus is in her freshman season with the University of Central Florida softball program. Klarkowski is hitting .288 with 14 runs scored, three doubles and four stolen bases.

This story was originally published April 25, 2017 at 4:41 PM with the headline "Manatee alumnus Thor Miller might face undrafted free agent route to NFL."