Rookie Blake Miller is entering the fold for the Detroit Lions as a potential starter in Year 1. We saw the benefit of that "trial by fire" approach with Tate Ratledge and Tyleik Williams in 2025, and the team is clearly looking to recreate that magic with Miller.
While it might be out of pure necessity - their only other options at right tackle are Larry Borom and Ben Bartch - Miller feels like one of the most prepared tackles the Lions could've taken a swing on in the 2026 NFL draft.
And, that pro-readiness has earned him a pretty high expectation set by FanSided's Jake Beckman, who recently wrote that he expects Miller to essentially be a "rookie Taylor Decker" in 2026.
"It’s easy to say that an NFL offense is only going to be as good as its offensive line, but that's especially true for the Lions offense with Jared Goff. 12 starts and 808 snaps might be the average for guys like [Blake] Miller, but they desperately need him to be closer to a rookie Taylor Decker … which is convenient because that’s who he’s (kind of) replacing."
Lions' rookie tackle expected to be as solid as rookie Decker
Decker, per Beckman's chart included in his piece, started 16 games in his rookie season and took 1,037 total snaps. In that playing time, he allowed 5 sacks and 47 pressures, which is average.
Better rookie debuts from players like Tristan Wirfs, Trevor Penning, and Amarius Mims could be what Lions fans desire out of Miller this season, but having a bar set at Decker's rookie production is just as achievable, if not more so.
Detroit has to hope that Miller works out well in his rookie season as they made a huge change in order to accommodate the first round pick. Penei Sewell, the teams' long-standing right tackle, is flipping over to the left side in order to have Detroit be able to place Miller at a more comfortable spot on the right side of the line.
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It was the right decision, especially since it's tough to put a rookie in a high-pressure situation such as requesting him to protect the franchise quarterback. And, Sewell's got experience from college and his rookie year at left tackle.
But, it's still a gamble until we see the line actually play together. Miller producing a slightly better than average rookie campaign, similar to Decker's, could make a world of a difference for the Lions' offense. Beckman has to be right here, or else we could be seeing one of Detroit's free agency additions stepping in for the rookie.
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