The Lions Should Draft This Guy: Clemson’s Blake Miller may be the biggest Dan Campbell guy in the draft, and that matters

When it comes to Dan Cmapbell guys in the 2026 NFL Draft, there might not be a more Dan Campbell guy than Blake Miller

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Clemson Tigers offensive lineman Blake Miller (78) against the Texas Longhorns during the CFP National playoff first round at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Clemson Tigers offensive lineman Blake Miller (78) against the Texas Longhorns during the CFP National playoff first round at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

We’re getting closer and closer to the 2026 NFL Draft for the Detroit Lions. With that in mind, we’re starting our new series called The Lions Should Draft This Guy. We’re going to profile a bunch of players we feel the Lions would love, and talk about their positives and negatives. Follow along! Here’s who we’ve covered so far:

The positives of Blake Miller

The headline says a lot. Miller is a Dan Campbell guy all the way. What does that mean? I think The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s comments in The Beast say it all.

“…He has the type of profile (physical traits, football IQ, competitive toughness) that teams will bet on every time.”

The guy is all about football and all about playing football, talking about football, watching football, and he wants to win. Those are Campbell traits all the way.

What’s good is that he’s also good at football. He allowed just 14 pressures and two sacks in 2025. He got great pass blocking grades and good run blocking grades. The other good thing is he’s been a starter since his freshman season, so we’re talking about a guy with plenty of experience who can start his rookie year.

The Concerns

You’d like to see some better run blocking grades. They weren’t that bad, but for a potential first-round pick, it would be better if they were stronger. While the pass blocking grades were good, the film shows that he can be inconsistent at times.

Strength-wise, he’s not exactly throwing guys around. He is going to get into some dogfights with edge rushers, but he’s not likely going to dominate any of them. That can be ok, but it makes you wonder what happens if he goes up against a monster edge like Myles Garrett. That’s a problem for most tackles anyway, though, isn’t it?

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