A four-year Clemson starter and the first Tigers offensive lineman drafted in the first round since the common draft era began, now anchoring Detroit's revamped offensive line.
Blake Miller started every game of his Clemson career from the moment he stepped on campus, breaking the program's all-time record for offensive snaps along the way. Detroit made him the 17th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to fill a need at offensive tackle after releasing longtime starter Taylor Decker.
Path to the league
A Strongsville, Ohio native, Miller earned all-state honors in both his junior and senior seasons of high school without allowing a single sack. He arrived at Clemson as a top-25 tackle prospect nationally and started all 14 games as a true freshman in 2022, becoming just the third true freshman since 1944 to do so for the Tigers.
Career highlights
Miller compiled 3,778 offensive snaps across 54 career starts at Clemson without missing a single game, setting the program's career record for snaps from scrimmage. He earned Freshman All-American honors in 2022, followed by Third-team All-ACC in 2023 and back-to-back First-team All-ACC selections in 2024 and 2025.
2025 season recap
Miller closed his Clemson career in 2025 with a First-team All-ACC selection, cementing his status as one of the most durable and productive tackles in the country. Detroit selected him 17th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft and signed him to a four-year, $21.8 million contract, with the Lions planning to have him compete for the starting right tackle job as part of a broader plan to shift Penei Sewell to left tackle.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Blake Miller (offensive tackle)
- Detroit Lions: Detroit Lions draft offensive lineman Blake Miller
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Offensive Tackle
- Group
- offense
- College
- Clemson
- Hometown
- Strongsville, OH, USA
- Age
- 22
- Status
- active
