The Lions have been in love with new right tackle Blake Miller for a lot longer than you think
The Lions have had their eyes glued on Miller for the last three seasons. They went out and got their man
The Detroit Lions have their first-round pick in the bag with their selection of Clemson tackle Blake Miller.
This pick makes so much sense in so many ways. The culture fit is off the charts, but the play fit makes a ton of sense as well. Miller can start at right tackle right away for the Lions, and he can help facilitate that move for Penei Sewell to the left side.
Lions GM Brad Holmes spoke after the first round and unveiled an interesting note on Miller.
The Lions have been watching Miller for the last three years
“We’ve probably been watching Blake for about three years now, and he literally has gotten better every single year.” Holmes said. “And so that’s what makes you really excited about a player like that, actually has a high floor, but he’s gotten better every year.”
Miller got the starting right tackle job for Clemson in his freshman season, and he never let it go. He played 54 consecutive games for the Tigers and started every single one of them. He had a solid first year, allowing 18 pressures and three sacks. It was after that season that the Lions started paying attention.
“The first thing I did (notice) was his urgency and athleticism. That was the first thing that really kind of caught my eye. I thought he had some things that he needed to work on from a strength development standpoint. So this is off of his 2023 tape. I was like, ‘Man, like this, guy gets stronger. Man, like this guys a football player here,” Holmes said. “Sure enough, 2024 came. It got better. 2025, at some point, it was like, ‘yeah, no, there’s no issues here.”
Holmes had a lot of good things to say about Miller on Thursday night. But nothing stood out more than “When you think about Blake Miller, you sleep easy, you know, you sleep very, very good at night.” Looks like Holmes is going to sleep pretty well Thursday night, and all that tape watching for three years didn’t go to waste.
Detroit Lions News