The runway at Fargo’s Hector International Airport sat lined with private jets, each one delivering NFL executives and scouts into the heart of North Dakota one afternoon last March.

Inside the Fargodome, representatives from 27 NFL organizations and even one Canadian Football team watched closely as North Dakota State quarterback and Solon native Cam Miller put on a show.

Forty-eight times Miller dropped back that day. And forty-eight times the ball landed in the arms of his receiver. One throw stood out. Miller took his typical three-step drop back and quickly shuffled forward, driving his hips to unleash a 55-yard dime to former teammate, Braylon Henderson.

The pass prompted a thunderous roar of applause and cheers, filling the facility with belief. Miller himself clapped twice in excitement, then immediately went on to the next rep, as the scouts feverishly went back to taking notes in their clipboard.

“It went as well as I could’ve imagined,” Miller said. “Just about perfect,” his Dad, Kevin, added.

While Cam Miller has dreamt about playing in the NFL for as long as he can remember, it was that jaw-dropping performance at the Bison’s Pro Day that may have made that dream a reality. Since that pro day, NFL buzz has been building for the former Solon quarterback, who earned All-State honors all three years he quarterbacked the Spartans from 2017- 2019.

Now he’s looking to become the 4th player from Solon to make it to the NFL, joining Marshall Koehn, James Morris, and his former high school center, Tyler Linderbaum of the Baltimore Ravens.

“I think [playing with Linderbaum] helped me play at the next level and motivated me to get better every day.” Miller said.

At Miller’s do-no-wrong pro day, he completed all types of passes, ranging from short routes to deep routes. Under center and shotgun, normal drop backs, and play action. He also impressed at the East-West Shrine Bowl in January, where he split reps with other top prospects and held his own on a national stage. Miller finished 10-of- 17 passing for 99 yards and led two scoring drives before passing the reigns to Auburn’s Payton Thorne.

“We only had five or six days together with those guys, so building chemistry was tough,” Miller said. “But I think I showed that I belong, no matter who I play with.”

At the Shrine Bowl, Miller said he met with 30 of the 32 NFL teams. He has also made Top 30 visits to the New York Jets, Denver Broncos, and Las Vegas Raiders. More phone calls and Zoom meetings are expected as the draft draws near.

“You only get one shot at this, so I want to make it count,” Miller said.

The Athletic’s NFL Draft analyst, Dane Brugler, ranks Miller as the No. 12 quarterback in this year’s draft, a likely sixth- or seventh-round selection.

“Overall, Miller won’t wow you right away because the physical traits are average,” Brugler wrote. “The more you watch, though, the more you come to appreciate his decision-making and feel for the position. He can be an asset in an NFL quarterback room as a reserve.”

To stay sharp and continue improving, Miller has moved to New Jersey to work with quarterback coach Tony Racioppi. Racioppi has worked with Kenny Pickett, a first-round pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022 and Super Bowl Champion with the Eagles this past season. Miller’s sessions have also included working with quarterbacks from Villanova, Bowling Green, and Eastern Michigan. Racioppi showed his excitement after Cam Miller’s performance at the pro day as he went straight to X, tweeting, “Cam Miller is a draft pick and will be in the NFL for a while!”

A common criticism NDSU players receive when entering the draft is the level of competition they’ve faced in college, considering NDSU doesn’t play at the highest level of college football. Miller helped show he belonged when he went up against Deion Sanders’ Colorado team to kick off the 2024 season, throwing against likely top-three NFL pick and Heisman trophy winner, Travis Hunter. “I think I built up that game a little too much in my mind,” Miller admitted. “But once the game started, it was just football. He’s a talented guy, but you adjust to the speed pretty quick.”

Recently retired NDSU Quarterbacks Coach Randy Hedberg said the Colorado game was a turning point for his development. Hedberg complimented Miller’s efforts to run full fields concepts, as well as showing his mobility to keep drives alive.

Hedberg has a strong track record of grooming NFL talent. He’s coached three quarterbacks who were drafted into the league and are still there today: Carson Wentz, Trey Lance, and Easton Stick.

“Cam has a lot of the same tools,” Hedberg said, saying he has flashes of all of them but mostly resembles Stick, a fifth-round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers in 2019. “He’s smart, he’s mobile, and he’s coachable. I see a similar path for him if he gets in the right situation.”

Though some scouts have questioned Miller’s size, Hedberg said he measures in at 6’1″ and about 210 pounds. Millers goal is to be 215 by the time the draft rolls around on April 24th.

“There’s always going to be a question about my size and whether I’m big enough for the next level,” Miller said. “But I’ve never let that be a reason for me to doubt myself. It’s about how you play the game.”

Any questions about Miller’s size are quickly quieted by his accuracy. In 2024, Miller threw 22 touchdown passes before he threw his first interception, an elite ratio that reflects both sound decision-making and precision under pressure.

“His ball placement is elite,” Hedberg mentioned. “He doesn’t just complete passes—he puts them where only his guy can get them. That’s what separates him.”

Hedberg believes Miller’s readiness for the next level comes down to his football IQ and the pro-style system he played in at NDSU. “He played under center, he made checks at the line, he ran a huddle,” Hedberg said. “Those are all things you don’t see in every college quarterback, but Cam’s done them. That’ll help him make the jump.

“He’s also got a great handle on coverages and protections at the line. That’s something that’s tough to teach, but he’s already operating like a pro. You could tell he was prepared for this moment. It reminded me of what we saw with Easton Stick a few years ago—focused, accurate, and ready.”

For Miller, the coming weeks will be filled with excitement, possibility but also uncertainty.

“There’s definitely fear in the unknown,” he said. “You don’t know when or if your name is going to be called, or what city you might end up in. But I try not to let that fear control anything. I just stick to the plan, keep showing up, and let the chips fall where they may.”

The one thing he can control? His plans on draft night. He’ll likely be at home in Solon.

“We’ll probably keep it to just us and few of his friends,” his dad Kevin said. “Just a small gathering. However he wants to do it.”

Regardless of when or where Miller’s name is called, his sights are set on achieving the goal he’s had since he was a little boy in Solon.

“I want to be the first in my family to play in the NFL,” he said.