Blake Miller tries to emulate Lane Johnson for his "explosiveness and consistency," Trent Williams for his "confidence, swagger and creativity," and Penei Sewell for his "physicality, nastiness and finishing blocks, and athleticism in the second and third level."
Sound good?
If the Clemson right tackle is on the board at No. 17 on Thursday night, the Lions might have a hard time saying no.
"I think he goes off in the late teens to end of the first round, that would be his range," NFL Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said last week.
There are a lot of high-ceiling offensive tackles in this draft who are projected to go in the first round. Alabama's Kadyn Proctor, Georgia's Monroe Freeling and especially Arizona State's Max Iheanachor all stand out as raw talents who will need time to develop. And the Lions might feel comfortable going that route with Larry Borom in place to bridge the gap.
But on an offensive line that already has a star tackle in Penei Sewell, and on a team that's firmly in its Super Bowl window, the Lions might prefer the stability of Miller's floor. A four-year starter at Clemson who broke the program record for career snaps, Miller could be a Day 1 starter in the NFL.
And, for what it's worth, he would fit the Lions' stated desire to move Sewell to left tackle.
"I know there’s knocks on Clemson offensive linemen, there haven’t been a lot of them, or many of them, that have transitioned well to the NFL. That doesn’t bother me with me him," said Jeremiah. "I just love the temperament that he plays with, he got better each and every year, he’s played a ton, he started 54 games, love the fact that he’s got a wrestling background. All the traits, all the dimensions, he checks all those boxes."
Miller is 6'7 with long arms. It's rather fitting that he's from the Ohio city of Strongsville: he won a state wrestling championship growing up and holds numerous records in the Clemson weight room. He's built for the next level. And he's wired to play for a team like the Lions and for a coach like Dan Campbell. Miller missed one practice in four years at Clemson, when he had to get surgery on his wrist for an injury he suffered in spring ball entering his junior year.
As he explained it at the combine, "I was out there, felt the wrist going, hit someone, ended up getting it soft-casted and played the rest of spring ball up until spring break. That was the only day they had for surgery, so I had to miss a practice for that, which kind of sucked. But recovered and after that they had me in a giant mitten. Just tried to make it work from there. I want to be available.”
As one NFL scout put it, “The thought of letting down his coaches and teammates kills him."
Scouts will also tell you that Miller plays too upright at times and could be a little more consistent with his hands in pass protection. He's a tad stiff. But the bottom line is that he's fast, explosive and highly physical in the run game, hence the parallels he draws to Sewell. His Relative Athletic Score is 9.90 out of 10, 17th out of more than 1,600 tackles evaluated over the last 40 drafts. And he earns high marks for his smarts, especially when it comes to handling stunts from the defensive line.
10 years ago, the Lions drafted a left tackle by the name of Taylor Decker 16th overall. Three tackles went before him: Ronnie Stanley to the Ravens, Jack Conklin to the Titans and Laremy Tunsil to the Dolphins. Decker never earned quite their levels of acclaim, but he was a stable starter from Day 1 who became a franchise pillar. Teams crave dependability at the game's most important positions. Indeed, that's one of the many reasons the Lions love Jared Goff, and one of the many reasons that Goff loved Decker. Matthew Stafford would say the same thing.
At least three tackles will likely go before Miller on Thursday night: Miami's Francis Mauigoa, Utah's Spencer Fano and Freeling. When the Lions are on the clock, Miller figures to be on the board. It's not as simple as saying they have a long-term hole at offensive tackle, Miller could fill it, and he's the pick. Brad Holmes doesn't draft for need. He doesn't place a premium on ... premium positions.
But he does draft for toughness in the trenches, like when he rushed to make Sewell his first-ever pick in 2021, and when he traded up a year ago for Tate Ratledge in round two. He does place a premium on football character. The talent, Holmes will tell you, is the easy part. If Miller checks those boxes for the Lions, the departure of one mainstay at offensive tackle could bring the arrival of another.
