With the 17th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday, the Detroit Lions selected Clemson’s Blake Miller, a starter at right tackle for each of the last four seasons.
Miller owns Clemson’s all-time record for snaps played from scrimmage (3,778), and the only players in program history who’ve started more games consecutively are specialists. He displayed year-over-year improvement as a pass protector, and he was consistently above average in the run game for the Tigers.
Here’s our instant grade of Detroit’s selection, along with some analysis.
Detroit Lions draft grade for Blake Miller
The Lions entered Thursday evening with a need at the tackle spot opposite of Penei Sewell, who has played on the right side over his first five NFL seasons but could (and likely will) be moved to the left in 2026 and beyond. Larry Borom, signed this offseason from the Miami Dolphins, is good enough to start at right tackle, though he wasn’t a long-term answer, given his one-year contract.
In comes Miller, who is seemingly good enough to contribute right away, providing competition for Borom. But don’t let his perceived high floor fool you, he’s still only 22 years old (younger than you’d expect for a four-year starter nowadays) and is a good athlete, especially at his size (6-foot-6¾, 317 pounds, 34¼-inch arms); Miller’s Relative Athletic Score was 9.90 out of 10.
Miller ranked in the top seven among OTs at the combine in the 40-yard dash (5.04 seconds), 10-yard split (1.75 seconds), vertical jump (32 inches), broad jump (9 feet, 5 inches) and bench press (32 reps). He also participated in the three-cone drill (7.75 seconds) and 20-yard shuttle (4.65) at Clemson’s Pro Day in March. Those scores would’ve ranked second and first for his position at the combine, respectively. There is upside to be tapped into by offensive line coach Hank Fraley.
As a true freshman in 2022, Miller allowed 25 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. That number improved in 2023 (22), 2024 (18) and 2025 (14), and he surrendered only eight sacks across 1,580 career snaps as a pass blocker.
With Miller and Sewell bookending the offensive line, second-year pro Tate Ratledge manning right guard and free-agent addition Cade Mays in the middle, Detroit’s offensive line could get back to being an advantage, something it wasn’t in 2025.
Grade: A
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Our grade, analysis for Lions’ first-round draft pick Blake Miller
Reporting by Richard Silva, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
