The Detroit Lions made a big move to solidify their needy offensive line when they selected Blake Miller in the first-round of the 2026 NFL draft.
Miller's selection was the culmination of an offseason of hard work by the franchise to identify the right player, and also the completion of a long journey for the player at Clemson University. It isn't a stretch to say Miller might be the Tigers' most polished product of all-time.
Heading into the draft, there was an expectation that Miller would make history by being Clemson's first drafted offensive lineman in round one. That came to fruition when the Lions nabbed him with pick No. 17.
The one person who saw that reality all along was Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney. Coming into the draft, Swinney believed Miller was capable of being a first-round pick. Quickly, that proved to be the case thanks to Detroit. It helped make Clemson one of the most talked about teams from the draft.
ESPN writer Adam Rittenberg took a closer look at some of the top storylines out of the draft, and one of the biggest was Swinney's prophecy that Miller was obviously first-round worthy.
"Clemson's draft achieved another milestone as tackle Blake Miller (No. 17, Detroit Lions) became the school's first offensive lineman selected in the first round in the common draft era. Miller set a team record for snaps with 3,778, made 54 career starts and, according to Swinney, missed only two practices during his college career."
"I hadn't had a first-round OL," Swinney said. "I said, 'If Blake Miller ain't a first rounder, I'm never going to have one.' This guy's as good as we've ever seen. There's nothing you could discount Blake Miller on. He's got incredible size, length, athleticism, flexibility, he's strong as an ox, smart, high character. I mean, he really checked every single box."
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The Lions like Miller for all the same reasons that Swinney laid out, and his coaching while with Clemson could be a big reason he hits the ground running in the Motor City. The fact that he is so pro ready is a tribute to Swinney and his staff for developing him the proper way and maximizing his talent.
Miller sees common threads between Swinney and Dan Campbell
Coming to Detroit was a great development for Miller, because the Lions have a similar mindset to Clemson. The same bedrock principles guide the Tigers' program that Campbell has used to help turn around the Lions in a short amount of time.
Miller is well aware of the strong comparison between his college coach and his new pro coach. These are facts that excite him, because it won't be that much of an adjustment as he comes to the pros in terms of mindset.
"There is a lot of similarity in terms of, they really value toughness, they value finish, they value grit. I think that was something that was emphasized to me when I was in college and that's something being (in Detroit) that I've heard a lot. It really resonates with me and that's something that's near and dear to me. That gets me excited. I can't say enough good things about Coach Swinney. I can't say enough good things about Coach Campbell. They're two guys who very obviously care a lot about their players, very passionate about what they do. They get fired up when the time calls for it. They're two incredible coaches."
Already, Miller seems to love what Campbell brings to the table as his next coach, and is ready to step up and do what needs to be done in order to match things on their end.
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