Dee Milliner
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DeMarcus Armon "Dee" Milliner (born September 14, 1991) is a former
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...
. He was drafted by the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
in the first round of the
2013 NFL Draft The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
. He played
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
at
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
, and was recognized as a consensus All-American in 2012.


High school career

A native of Millbrook, Alabama, Milliner attended Stanhope Elmore High School in Millbrook, where he played football and ran track. In
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
, he was a starting defensive back ever since his freshman year at Alabama's highest high school football level (6A). In January 2014 the Alabama High School Athletic Association re-aligned to seven classifications, with 32 teams competing at the 7A level. In his first start against Auburn High School he intercepted a pass and ran it back 40 yards for a touchdown. By his sophomore year, Milliner was a ''
Montgomery Advertiser The ''Montgomery Advertiser'' is a daily newspaper and news website located in Montgomery, Alabama. It was founded in 1829. History The newspaper began publication in 1829 as ''The Planter's Gazette.'' Its first editor was Moseley Baker. It ...
'' All-Metro 5A-6A selection. After finishing his junior season with 57 tackles (33 solo) and seven interceptions (two of them returned for touchdowns), he earned 6A ASWA All-State honorable mention. He made 71 tackles as a senior in 2009 while intercepting three passes and breaking up eight passes as opposing offenses chose to throw away from his side of the field. He was a consensus All-State first teamer, and a 2009 ''USA Today'' All-American selection. Milliner was selected to the
Under Armour All-America Game The Under Armour High School All-America Game is a high school football all-star game typically held in early January in the U.S. state of Florida created to spotlight the nation’s top high school seniors. The game was first played on January 5, ...
and played in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic. Milliner was also an standout
track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
athlete at Stanhope Elmore, where he competed in events ranging from the 100-meters to the long jump. At the 2008 Auburn Invitation, he placed 1st in the
long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...
event at 21 ft 3 in (6.52 m). He finished 8th in the
200-meter dash The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...
at the 2009 Central-Falcon Invitational, with a time of 22.00 seconds. He recorded a personal-best time of 10.86 seconds in the
100-meter dash The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...
at the 2009 AHSAA 4A-6A State Meet, where he took 4th.


Recruiting

Regarded as a five-star recruit by ''
Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
'', Milliner was listed as the No. 2 cornerback nationally, behind only
Lamarcus Joyner Lamarcus Joyner (born November 27, 1990) is an American football safety for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). After being named 2009 Defensive High School Player of the Year by ''USA Today'', he played college football at ...
, while
Scout.com Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...
ranked him No. 1 among cornerbacks. Growing up in a family of Alabama fans, Milliner picked the Crimson Tide over offers from
Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...
, Georgia,
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
, and
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
, among others. Milliner was Alabama's highest rated recruit of the 2010 class.


College career

Milliner attended the
University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...
, where he played for coach
Nick Saban Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. (; born October 31, 1951) is an American football coach who has been the head football coach at the University of Alabama since 2007. Saban previously served as head coach of the National Football League's Miami Dolphins ...
's Alabama Crimson Tide football team from 2010 to 2012. As a true freshman in 2010, he played in all 13 games and earned 11 starts. Three times he was named among the Defensive Players of the Week by the Alabama coaching staff. His season-high eight tackles came against Mississippi State. Milliner registered his first career interception against
Georgia State Georgia state or ''variation'', may refer to: Primarily * Georgia State University ("State", "Georgia State"), a state university * Georgia (U.S. state) ("Georgia state"), a state of the United States of America Sports * sports teams of Georgia St ...
, on November 18. After the season, he was named a 2010 Freshman All-American by '' College Football News''. In his sophomore season, Milliner was the third cornerback in Alabama's depth chart, behind Dre Kirkpatrick and
DeQuan Menzie DeQuan Menzie (born January 11, 1990) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Alabama. Early life Menzie played high school football at Carver High School in Columbus, Georgia, where he played under coach Dell M ...
. He played in all 13 games and started six, including in all nickel or dime situations. He had 27 tackles, and ranked second on the team with nine pass breakups while leading the team with three interceptions that he returned for 72 yards. Early in the season, against No. 23
Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...
, Milliner broke up a career best three passes in the Tide's 27–11 win. In the 2011
Iron Bowl The Alabama–Auburn football rivalry, better known as the Iron Bowl, is an American college football rivalry game between the Auburn University Tigers and University of Alabama Crimson Tide, both charter members of the Southeastern Conferenc ...
against
Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...
, he made a season-high six tackles with four solo stops. Milliner intercepted his third pass of the season early in the fourth quarter and returned it 35 yards for a game-clinching score. With Kirkpatrick and Menzie leaving for the NFL after the 2011 season, Milliner was Alabama's undisputed top cornerback. Apart from the
Western Kentucky Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state. ;Always included * The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogniz ...
game, which he missed due to a strained
hip flexor A flexor is a muscle that flexes a joint. In anatomy, flexion (from the Latin verb ''flectere'', to bend) is a joint movement that decreases the angle between the bones that converge at the joint. For example, one’s elbow joint flexes when one ...
, he started all games of the season, and totaled 51 tackles with two interceptions and 18 pass breakups, which ranks third on Alabama's single-season list. Milliner led the
Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
with 1.67 passes defended per game, and twice totaled four pass breakups in a game (
Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
and
Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
) plus three at
Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
. He was subsequently named a unanimous first-team All-American, while also being among the finalists for the
Bronko Nagurski Trophy The Bronko Nagurski Trophy has been awarded annually since 1993 to the collegiate American football defensive player adjudged by the membership of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) to be the best in the National Collegiate Athle ...
and Jim Thorpe Award.


College career statistics

Correct as of completion of 2012 regular season.


Professional career

While not included in pre-season
mock draft Mock draft is a term used by sports websites and magazines in reference to a simulation of a sports league draft or fantasy sports league's draft. ESPN has run mock drafts on the front page of its website, allowing any visitor to vote towards a sp ...
s for the
2013 NFL Draft The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
in May 2012, Milliner worked his way up during the year and was projected as a high first-rounder by mid-season. In late January 2013, ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'' projected Milliner to be selected No. 6 overall by the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
. A torn labrum in Milliner's right shoulder caused him to miss the NFL Combine's bench press, but he completed all the other drills at the combine, though he had shocking positional drills results due to dropped balls. Milliner underwent shoulder surgery on March 12, 2013. He returned in time for the start of NFL training camps. After the combine, ''SI'' projected Milliner to be selected No. 2 overall by the Jaguars, which would make him the highest selected defensive back since Eric Turner in
1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
. In March 2013, Pat Kirwan of
CBSSports.com CBSSports.com (formerly CBS SportsLine.com and SportsLine USA) is an American sports news website operated by Paramount Streaming, itself a division of Paramount Global. It is the website for CBS's CBS Sports division that features news, highl ...
projected Milliner to be the No.2 selection by the Chiefs. Since Gary Glick in
1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...
, no defensive back had been selected first overall.


New York Jets

The
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
selected Milliner in the first round (ninth overall) of the
2013 NFL Draft The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
. He became the third Alabama cornerback in four years selected in the first round, after
Kareem Jackson Kareem Jackson (born April 10, 1988) is an American football strong safety for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2010 NF ...
and Dre Kirkpatrick. Milliner was also the highest selected Alabama cornerback since
Antonio Langham Collie Antonio Langham (born July 31, 1972) is an American former college and professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the University of Alabama, a ...
in
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
.


2013

On July 29, 2013, the New York Jets signed Milliner to a fully guaranteed four-year, $12.66 million contract that includes a $7.58 million
signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
and offset language. Milliner was named the starting cornerback for the 2013 season alongside
Antonio Cromartie Antonio Cromartie (born April 15, 1984) is a former American football cornerback and current cornerback coach for the Texas A&M Aggies football team. He played college football at Florida State and was drafted in the first round by the San Diego ...
. Milliner experienced a tumultuous start to his career, being benched 3 times during games for his lackluster performance. Milliner ended the season, however, with a strong performance, recording his first interception in week 16 against the Cleveland Browns followed up by two interceptions against the Miami Dolphins in Week 17 to earn AFC defensive player of the week awards as well as the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month honors. In 13 games (12 starts) of 2013, Milliner made 56 tackles with 15 passes defended, and 3 interceptions.


2014

Milliner suffered an ankle sprain during training camp, keeping him out until opening day. Milliner returned to action on September 14, 2014, against the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
. During Week 6 against the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
on October 13, 2014, Milliner left the game with an Achilles tendon injury. The next day, an MRI revealed that his Achilles tendon was torn, prematurely ending his 2014 season. Limited to just 3 games in 2014, Milliner registered 6 tackles and a pass defended.


2015

On August 7, 2015, Milliner underwent wrist surgery that required 6–8 weeks to recover. On September 6, 2015, the Jets placed Milliner on the injured/designated for return list. He was activated November 11, 2015.


2016

The Jets declined to pick up the fifth-year option of Milliner's contract on May 2, 2016 after Milliner played just 21 games of a possible 48 in three seasons. Milliner was waived/injured by the Jets on September 3, 2016. After clearing waivers, he reverted to the team's injured reserve list. He was released on September 28, 2016.


References


External links

*
New York Jets bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Milliner, Demarcus 1991 births Living people People from Millbrook, Alabama All-American college football players American football cornerbacks Alabama Crimson Tide football players Under Armour All-American football players New York Jets players Players of American football from Alabama