Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes appeared on NFL Network’s Good Morning FootballThursday morning, where he spoke with the show’s hosts for about 10 minutes on a variety of topics including the team’s philosophy, how he knew Jahmyr Gibbs would be a special player and the life-sized lion imagery that adorns his walls.
Some of the most interesting comments he made were about offensive tackle Blake Miller, whom the Lions selected No. 17 overall in the first round of the NFL draft last month.
Holmes was asked by host Willie Colon about the Miller selection and gave some insight into why the Lions liked the Clemson tackle.
Holmes said Miller’s makeup and intangibles “[fit] us like a glove.” He mentioned how Miller rarely missed as much as a practice at Clemson, and that even when he did he “didn’t feel great about it because he felt like he was letting his teammates down.”
That’s clearly the kind of mindset Holmes and the Lions organization can appreciate, with Holmes adding “those are the types of guys that we want in our locker room.”
He went on to highlight how Miller had started 54 games in college, and the Lions felt he improved with every season of his career.
“I feel like those are those unique guys that do have a stable floor coming in, but there’s no stopping his upside and growth,” Holmes said. “He is tough, he’s smart, he’s big, he’s long, he’s instinctive, he’s gritty, he’s physical in the run game. He just checked all the boxes.”
“When you get into his intangibles, makeup, just what he believes in, this guy’s a Lion.”
Holmes praises Miller pick in latest comments on draft
The Lions have become known for having a type under Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell. As much as the whole “grit” thing has maybe become a bit overblown, it does legitimately seem to inform their process with drafting players. Miller is someone who they think falls right in line with that style.
Holmes acknowledged the perception of Miller as a “high-floor”, “plug-and-play” player on “Good Morning Football”, and that’s what they’ll need him to be. Detroit’s offensive line took a major step back last season after the retirement of Frank Ragnow, allowing quarterback Jared Goff to take the most sacks of his pro career and never quite finding a groove in the running game on a week-to-week basis.
Miller will be counted on to upgrade Detroit’s offensive line from day one.
“In terms of where he’s gonna— how much impact, he just needs to keep going on the trajectory that he’s been going on,” Holmes said. “In terms of just continuing to work on his game, continuing to get better, just like him or any other player that we’ve drafted, he’s gonna have to compete.”
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The Lions will give Miller every opportunity to earn a starting tackle job (depending on what side Penei Sewell winds up playing), but Holmes said it’s not a guarantee that he is handed such a role right away.
He pointed to what the Lions did to address the offensive line in free agency, the most notable of which for Miller’s situation is the signing of tackle Larry Borom, who started 11 games at right tackle for the Miami Dolphins.
“Nothing is given around here,” Holmes said. “I know he got drafted in the first round, but we did a lot of work on the offensive line in free agency as well. So he’s going to have to go out and earn a job. But we like his work ethic and everything, and he’ll do everything in his power to do that.”
If Miller can prove to be an impact player out of the gate, it could be a big boost towards Detroit turning its fortunes around up front.
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