Growing up in the Cleveland suburb of Strongsville, Ohio, Blake Miller was a four-year varsity starter for Strongsville High School playing nose tackle his freshman season and then transitioning to left tackle where he started his final three seasons.
Miller was named First-Team All-State as a high school junior and senior and was a four-star recruit, choosing to play his college football at Clemson.
They did warmup lines by position at Clemson with all the left tackles, left guards, centers, right guards and right tackles together. Miller noticed the line of right tackles was a little shorter, so he jumped in, looking at it as an opportunity to get on the field quicker.
"By happenstance, hopped in there and started repping there and by God's grace, it worked out for me," Miller said Friday during his introductory press conference at the Meijer Performance Center after the Lions made him their first-round selection (No. 17 overall) Thursday night.
Miller earned the starting role at right tackle as a true freshman and went on to the break the Clemson record for career snaps from scrimmage, playing 3,778 offensive snaps over 54 career games (all starts) from 2022-25.
Miller got better every single year at Clemson, and that's something Lions general manager Brad Holmes said he took note of. In fact, Holmes and the Lions have been tracking Miller's progress closely the last three years. Miller has the size, athleticism and all the physical attributes that can make him a terrific NFL right tackle, but it's that growth he showed every year that really endeared him to the Lions.
"His urgency and athleticism, that was the first thing that really kind of caught my eye," Holmes said of Miller. "I thought he had some things that he needed to work on from a strength-development standpoint, but I said – so this is off of '23 tape – I was like, 'Man, if this guy gets stronger, man, this guy's a football player here.'
"And sure enough, '24 came, he got better. And '25, it was like, '25, it was to the point where it was like, 'Yeah, there's no issues here.' And it's a testament to him and his work ethic, so I'm not surprised 'cause this guy's a high football-character individual."
Miller said he'd occasionally come across crossover tape or see cut-ups of his early years at Clemson and he loves the growth he's seen in his game.
View photos of offensive lineman Blake Miller.
Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller (78) plays during an NCAA college football game between Clemson and Furman on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller (78) looks on before an NCAA college football game between Clemson and Furman on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller (78) plays against Syracuse in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller (35) runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller (78) plays against Appalachian State during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller (78) in action during an NCAA football game against Florida State on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Tallahassee, Fla. Clemson defeated Florida State 29-13. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller (35) runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller (78) plays against Virginia during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller (78) plays during an NCAA college football game between Clemson and LSU Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller works out during NFL Pro Day, Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller (78) looks on during an NCAA college football game between Clemson and Troy, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller (35) runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller (78) plays during an NCAA college football game between Clemson and Troy, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller (78) blocks Syracuse defensive lineman Kevin Jobity Jr. (94) in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller (35) runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller (78) plays against Louisville during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller (35) lifts weights at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller (78) plays against LSU defensive end Jack Pyburn (44) during an NCAA college football game between Clemson and LSU Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller (78) blocks Duke defensive end Wesley Williams (97) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)
Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller (35) speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
"To see where I was then and where I am now and just the excitement for where I'll be this time next year, continuing to get better," Miller said. "That part is super satisfying to me. The pursuit of perfection."
Miller fits the Lions' profile from a size, athleticism and experience standpoint. They see him competing with veteran Larry Borom for a starting role at right tackle. Detroit knows exactly what they're getting in Miller. There's no mystery. He's a big, athletic people mover with extremely high character who is dependable and durable.
"I'll tell you what, when you think about Blake Miller, you sleep easy," Holmes said. "You sleep very, very good at night, and so that's what gets us fired up."
