Virginia at Miami NFL Draft watch notes

The buzz on Miami redshirt sophomore running back Lamar Miller has lessened some in recent weeks. He could turn that around with a big game tonight against Virginia. Miller has solid size at 5-foot-11 and 212 pounds and shows great vision for a younger player. He's quick through the hole and could be a No. 1 back in many schemes.

Miller's best blocker is junior Brandon Washington. Versatility is one of Washington's biggest strengths. He's played guard, right tackle and left tackle and looked good. I view him more as a guard because he's a mauling lineman who is better in the run game than the pass game.

The secondaries in this game probably feature the most talent. The biggest attention grabber is Miami junior safety Ray Ray Armstrong. His draft prospects are faltering, however. Since returning from suspension, he hasn't started any of the three games he's played. Armstrong has always overshadowed the play of fellow safety Vaughn Telemaque, who is a solid all-around player.

Virginia senior Chase Minnifield is one of the best all-around cornerbacks in this year's class. He's become much better in run defense this season and has always been aggressive in coverage. He's been used more this season on blitz packages, and that should only help his stock. There may not be a more complete corner in the 2012 class.

Miami linebacker Sean Spence looked like a start last week against Georgia Tech, finishing with 10 tackles with two coming for a loss. He's exclusively a weakside linebacker in the NFL because of his lacking size. But he'll be a player who does really well on special teams and is able to chip in on defense.

Virginia defensive end Cam Johnson is having a quiet season after showing some intrigue last season. This year he has just five and a half tackles for loss and two sacks. The former linebacker is somewhat without a position at the next level. At 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds, Johnson has the size to play 4-3 end, but doesn't have a lot of power or pop in his game. Miami defensive end Marcus Robinson is another player without a position at the next level.

The Cavaliers have one of the more intriguing 3-4 end prospects in senior Matt Conrath. More than anything else, Conrath is a size prospect at 6-foot-7 and 280 pounds. He has seven tackles for loss this season, so he should be one to watch out for as someone who will at least get a camp invite.