The first Tiger off the board is not who you might have expected. The Detroit Lions selected offensive lineman Blake Miller with the 17th pick in the first round. Miller is the first OL from Clemson to be drafted in the first round in the Super Bowl era. Let that sink in for a moment.
Miller was a 4 year starter at Clemson, eventually breaking the record for most games started in his senior year. He arrived on campus from the Cleveland area (Potential New Heights guest???) after choosing the Tigers
over the local Ohio State Buckeyes. Once on campus he quickly locked down a spot on the Clemson OL, a spot he would hold his entire time here. While at Clemson he earned All-ACC or Freshman All-American honors every year. His presence was the lone positive on a Clemson OL that was inconsistent at the best of times. His career culminated in an excellent senior year where he was responsible for only 2 sacks and a handful of QB pressures in 2025.
The Detroit Lions are getting a perfect cultural fit. Miller is known for his toughness, in pre-draft reports scouts mentioned how he only missed a single practice in his entire college career, and that was after a broken wrist during spring practice that required surgery. He’s the perfect fit for Dan Campbell and the culture he’s instilled in Detroit. His upbringing and work ethic will mesh well with the Motor City and he seems like an excellent candidate to lock down a position on the OL for years to come.
In the NFL Miller is going to need to work on his style, He played fairly upright in college, but his athleticism saved him. That won’t happen in the NFL. Most of his improvement is going to be a function of technique. Thankfully his mindset shows he can take coaching well and should find success at RT for the Lions
