Brandon Myles
Brandon Myles (born July 25, 1984 in Goochland, Virginia) is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by The New York Giants in 2007, but this was waived on May 12 2007. He played collegiately at West Virginia.
Early life
Son of David Dyer and Carol Myles, Brandon excelled at football and basketball. In basketbal, Myles scored over 1,800 career points in high school as an all-stater. In football, Myles was selected to The All-metro team and East-West all-star squad.
College career
Freshman (2002)
Myles enrolled at West Virginia University in 2002. He did not play any during his freshman year due to academic issues, but did get redshirted by head coach Rich Rodriguez and was moved to the scout team.
(Redshirt) Freshman (2003)
During his redshirt-freshman year, 2003, Myles played none like his true freshman year.
Sophomore (2004)
In 2004, Myles finally got playing time. Lining up on the explosive offense, with quarterback Rasheed Marshall, runningback Kay-Jay Harris, and fellow receiver Chris Henry, Myles had only six catches for 138 yards. For his first catch of the East Carolina University game, Myles grabbed a 51-yard pass from Rasheed Marshall. In the game against University of Central Florida, Myles got his first touchdown: a 57-yard catch from Marshall. In the game against James Madison University, Myles caught a four-yard touchdown grab. Myles missed the games against Temple University and Boston College with a right foot sprain.
Junior (2005)
As a junior in 2005, Myles caught a team-best 34 receptions for 536 yards while replacing Chris Henry. Myles best game was against UConn, where he caught a 50-yard pass and a 20-yard touchdown from Pat White (football player). Myles second best game was an 81-yard performance against East Carolina, which included a 35-yard pass from Adam Bednarik (great-nephew of Chuck Bednarik) and a 10-yard touchdown pass from Patrick White. The best catch of Myles' season was against Cincinnati in the 38-0 blowout. Myles was going one-on-one with a defensive back, when a lob pass was tipped by the back. Myles fell backwards, and as he fell the ball came down in his hands for a completion. In the 2006 Sugar Bowl against the Georgia Bulldogs, Myles grabbed four passes for 64 yards to help the Mountaineers upset Georgia. Myles also earned the Contribution Award from his West Virginia coaches.
Senior (2006)
As a senior, 2006, Myles shared starting time with junior Darius Reynaud, who had an excellent year in '06, and was named the team captain. Myles finished the 2006 season catching 30 passes for 468 yards and seven touchdowns, second on the team behind Reynaud. Myles best performance of the year was a six-catch, 95-yard and two touchdown performance against University of South Florida. Also, Myles finished the season against Rutgers with a four-catch, 63-yard and one score performance. Myles also received the Ideal Mountaineer Award from the coaching staff. After the season, Myles' career totals were 70 passes caught for 1,142 yards and 12 touchdowns. Although Myles played in a run-based offense, he ranks ninth in among WVU receivers in career touchdowns, 24th in receiving yards, and tied with Mountaineer-great Reggie Rembert for 24th in career catches. In his 39 games as a Mountaineer, Myles started 29 contests.
Professional career
Pre-Draft
During the Senior Bowl practice, Myles excelled expectations and was said to have beaten top-cornerback prospect Daymeion Hughes on a long pass. On Thursday, NFL Draft Countdown reported that Myles was "the best receiver on the North roster and uses his hands to snatch balls away from his body, although he did have a bad drop on a pass from Troy Smith after he had beaten Leon Hall." NFL Draft Countdown's Scott Wright said of Myles, "running good routes is a key to getting open, especially if you don't have outstanding speed, and the two guys who looked the best to me when it comes to that were Rhema McKnight of Notre Dame and Brandon Myles of West Virginia." 1
After the game, Scott Wright reported that Myles was #17 on his list of prospects whose STOCK raised the highest, saying "[Myles] Didn't get a lot of chances in college but was one of the best wideouts in Mobile." 2 Scott Wright said of Myles in his Senior Bowl review, "Brandon Myles of West Virginia was a pleasant surprise and in my opinion he was the second best receiver in Mobile, on either team." 3
At Myles' Pro Day, he recorded a 4.41 40-yard dash time, 35.5 inch vertical, and recorded a 10'11" broad jump.
On January 23, Myles was scouted by the Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings, and New England Patriots. 4
Myles' scouting report in ESPN's Draft Guide 2007 magazine praised his athleticism, but shunned his experience, due to West Virginia's offensive scheme. Myles was compared to Kevin Curtis of the Philadelphia Eagles as well.
Between the Senior Bowl and the NFL Draft, Myles' stock rose dramatically. From being a projected undrafted free agent, to a "mid-rounder" 5, Myles became a favorite sleeper pick in the draft. Some said Myles could be 2007's version of the 2006 Draft's seventh round selection at receiver, Marques Colston out of Hofstra, who became a key starter for the New Orleans Saints.
NFL Draft
Myles went undrafted, to some surprise, in the 2007 NFL Draft (held April 28 and April 29). He is expected to be signed as an undrafted free agent though, much like some his fellow teammates from West Virginia were. He was signed by the New York Giants following the draft, but it was waived May 12.