INDIANAPOLIS — Christen Miller stood before an assembled media throng at the NFL combine and declared himself a “changed man” from the time he arrived at Georgia.

“Coach (Kirby) Smart prepared me tremendously for this moment, he prepared me not just as a football player, but as a man,” said Miller, who will take part in on-field drills at 3 p.m. on Thursday (TV: NFL Network) in Lucas Oil Stadium.

“I knew when I made the decision to go to Georgia it was going to be a lifetime decision, and I would leave a man.”

Miller revealed he nearly declared himself eligible for the NFL draft last season before reflecting on his need for improvement and development.

“I knew I wanted to graduate, I knew I wanted to be a leader for the team and be a captain for the team, and I knew I wasn’t ready to be an NFL player yet,” Miller said, “because I wasn’t moving like a pro yet, I wasn’t writing my notes in the meeting room, I wasn’t taking care of pro business. Football stuff, I was doing what I was supposed to do, but I wanted to be a pro.

“When I came out this year I wanted to be ready mentally, physically and being prepared.”

Miller also proved himself accountable in his NFL podium interview at the Indiana Convention Center on Wednesday.

Miller said he had some growing up to do at UGA after “living a little too fast” very early in his collegiate career, including getting pulled over for going 30 mph over the speed limit in March of 2023.

Like most all prospects who have run afoul of the law in any manner, Miller will likely have to answer for that in interviews with NFL teams.

“When mistakes like that happen, it teaches you, you have to grow up fast, and I had to understand that decision I made when I was speeding, it not only affect me, but it affected my teammates and my family,” Miller said, “so I had to understand that I have to be more intentional when I’m driving. If I’m going 10 (mph) over, I have to see that and be a man.”

Miller shared how Smart made sure he grew from his mistakes, on and off the field.

“He was hard me, he was on his (microphone) at practice every day, but he’s a part of the reason I am who I am today,” Miller said, recounting a summer conditioning drill Smart pushed him through when he wasn’t able to keep up.

Miller indicated the speeding offense was much more serious.

“Coach Smart, he doesn’t like that at all, it’s not right, and I feel like he does a good job of disciplining players for it and holding them accountable,” Miller said, sharing how he was fined and assigned 6:30 a.m. workouts and community service. “You get in the car, you drive the speed limit.”

Miller said teammates like CJ Allen also held him personally accountable, and he credited former UGA defensive coordinator and current Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp for encouraging him to see things through at Georgia rather than transfer.

“Coach Muschamp, having him as a coach was a blessing,” Miller said. “When I was young and a little frustrated about playing time …. he held me accountable in a way, telling me, ‘Christen, one of the hardest things to do coming in as a freshman is play close to the ball,’ so he was telling me, ‘stay down, stay focused and stay prepared.’ “

Miller has done just that over the past two seasons in blossoming into one of the most promising defensive tackles in the upcoming NFL draft (April 23-25, in Pittsburgh).

“I came as a boy and I left as a man, and I feel like I said earlier, the people around me hold me to a certain standard,” Miller said. “I’m a whole different guy now, for sure.”