Apr 24, 2013 5 min read

You’ll excuse Rontez Miles if he wants to spend the next few days with his family and friends.

After all, Miles, a safety from California University of Pennsylvania, has spent much of the past few months travelling the country, showing off his ability to NFL coaches and scouts. From college football all-star games to the NFL Draft Combine to individual visits, Miles has been a man in constant motion since the Vulcans’ football season ended last fall.

But this weekend, Miles will be with his family in Pittsburgh when he finally finds out what lies ahead of him when the NFL holds its annual draft.

“It all went well,” said Miles, a 5-10 1/2-inch, 203-pound hard-hitting safety. “I’m definitely excited. I kind of feel like a kid in an amusement park. At the same time, I’m anxious because I want the draft to come so I can see where I’m going to be.”

Miles has drawn plenty of interest and is expected to be selected in the mid to later rounds of the seven-round draft, which begins today and runs through Saturday. Miles is one of several California University players who hope to hook on with an NFL team this weekend, joining quarterback Peter Lalich, offensive lineman Eric Kush and tight end Blake Williamson, a Chartiers-Houston graduate.

“I’ve been hearing from some teams this week, the Cardinals, Texans and some others,” said Williamson, who has bulked up to 243 pounds. “I will probably be a free agent or later-round guy. But coming from a smaller school, that’s understandable. All I need is an opportunity.”

Miles will be looking for that same chance. He was the third player in as many years from California to receive an invitation to the combine, joining quarterback Josh Portis and offensive lineman Rishaw Johnson. Both Portis and Johnson went undrafted, signing as undrafted free agents with Seattle.

Miles hopes to become the first former Vulcans star to be drafted since safety Tommie Campbell was taken in the seventh round by Tennessee in 2011.

“I’ve been hearing the later rounds,” Miles said. “I’ve talked with a lot of teams. They have been calling me all week long. I’ve really been surprised there have been so many.”

It’s been a long, hard journey to get to this point.

A standout at Woodland Hills, Miles played on a WPIAL finalist with current New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski. The team included Miles’ brother, Vondre Griffin, a quarterback who was also a Division I recruit.

Miles turned down offers from other schools, including Arizona, to stay with his brother and head for Kent State.

But after his brother was found to be in a car with another man who was in possession of marijuana, Kent decided to release Griffin, who was later cleared of any charges, from his scholarship. The team wanted Miles to stay, but he decided that if Kent didn’t want his brother, it couldn’t have him, either.

Kent’s loss was California’s gain.

Miles was an immdiate star for the Vulcans, winning PSAC Freshman of the Year and being named All PSAC-West four times. He also won back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards, and Division II All America honors following each of the past two seasons.

“I wouldn’t change anything,” Miles said. “Everything that happened made me the person I am. There’s no telling who I would be now if I had taken a different path. It’s been a hard path, no doubt about it, but to me, it proves that if you try to do the right things, it will work out for you.

“I’ve made mistakes, like anyone, but I try to live the right way.”

Miles put his talent on display with many of college football’s other stars in Indianapolis at the combine in February, running a 4.62-second 40-yard dash and showing off a 36.5-inch vertical jump.

But the thing that caught everyone’s attention on the NFL Network broadcast when talking about Miles? A Steelers tattoo that adorns his left biceps.

“It would be a dream come true,” Miles said of the possibility of being selected by his hometown team. “I’ve had that tattoo for years. I played my last high school game on their home field. I would love that.”

But at this point, Miles will take a job with any of the NFL’s 32 teams, tattoo or no tattoo.

Of course, his love for his hometown team could cause him some issues in, say, Baltimore’s locker room if the Ravens would happen to take him. But Miles is prepared for that as well.

“It will be jokes, non-stop jokes, I’m sure,” Miles said. “But once I get out on the field and let them see me play and how hard I work, they’ll see I’m serious and I’m a player.”