Blake Miller Is Exactly What the Lions Needed — And His High School Story Proves It

Blake Miller once blocked a defender so hard on his final high school play that he drove the guy past the sideline, past the bench, and into the fence. That’s the demeanor Detroit just added to their offensive line.

Lions fans wanted Monroe Freeling. Some wanted to trade up for a flashier name. Instead, Brad Holmes took Blake Miller at 17, and you know what? The more you dig into this pick, the better it looks.

NFL draft analyst Trevor Sikma — co-host of the NFL Stock Exchange — broke down exactly why Miller fits Detroit perfectly, and it starts with one ridiculous story from his high school career.

“On the last play of his high school football career, he knew it was going to be his last play of the game,” Sikma explained. “He blocks this player, keeps his legs moving all the way to the sideline, beyond the sideline, and where the fence was that guarded the field. He just took this dude not just to the sideline but all the way past the bench and to the fence.”

That’s not technique. That’s violence. That’s exactly what you want protecting Jared Goff’s blind side.

Miller’s Game Is More Polished Than You Think

The knock on Miller is that he’s “safe” — not a ceiling pick. But Sikma pushed back hard on that narrative. The guy has 54 starts at right tackle for Clemson. Fifty-four. He completely shut down Dylan Stewart, who’s being talked about as a potential top-three pick next year. Sure, Stewart was banged up, but Miller was ready for that challenge and dominated anyway.

His hands? Excellent. Punch timing? Excellent. Balance and patience in pass pro? All there. The length is NFL-ready. And now Penei Sewell slides to left tackle where he belongs, potentially going down as the greatest right tackle of all time before finishing his career on the left side.

What does Miller need to work on? Anchor strength. Getting denser in the lower half to handle power rushers who want to bull rush him into the quarterback’s lap. That’s coachable. That’s weight room stuff. The nastiness can’t be taught — and Miller has it in spades.

The Derek Moore Question Gets Complicated

The second-round pick of Derek Moore raised some eyebrows, and Sikma was honest about his initial reaction: why trade up for him when Gabe Aïs and Zion Young were still on the board?

The answer, according to Lions fans who checked Sikma in real time: Detroit needed to jump Baltimore. Jesse Minter knows Moore’s game, and the Lions weren’t risking it.

But here’s where it gets interesting. Moore’s best work comes as a standup outside linebacker rushing from wide-seven and wide-nine alignments. He’s not a hand-in-the-dirt five-technique. So how does that fit with Aidan Hutchinson, who can also play that standup role?

Sikma’s take: Moore might start the year as a designated pass rusher giving Hutch breathers, especially if Detroit prefers a heavier-handed DJ Wanum on the other side. Moore’s pass-rush win rate over the last two seasons has been above 20% — elite among this edge class. But his role depends entirely on how the Lions want to deploy Hutchinson schematically.

Holmes Went Against His Own Philosophy — And That’s Okay

Here’s the fascinating part: Brad Holmes usually swings for upside in round one and takes the safer, run-stopping edge later. This year he flipped it — taking the polished, pro-ready Miller over the higher-ceiling Freeling, then grabbing the pass-rush specialist Moore instead of a bigger, more physical edge like Zion Young.

Maybe the front office heard the criticism. Maybe they know they’ve failed to get Hutchinson legitimate help opposite him for two years. Either way, this draft shows Holmes is willing to adapt.

As for the NFC North? Sikma had all four teams graded around a B-plus. The Bears snagging Dylan Dean at 25 — a top-eight player on Sikma’s board — hurts. But the Lions addressed their needs, got a day-one starter at right tackle, and added pass-rush help. Can they get back to Super Bowl contention as quickly as next year?

“Absolutely,” Sikma said. “The roster is still really good. They were just hurt.”

Luck matters in January. But talent still wins games in September. And Blake Miller’s going to be pancaking defenders from day one.

The Takeaways

• Blake Miller’s 54 career starts at Clemson and his nasty demeanor make him a day-one starter at right tackle, allowing Penei Sewell to move to left tackle
• Derek Moore’s role depends on how Detroit wants to use Aidan Hutchinson — he’s a standup pass rusher, not a traditional five-technique
• Brad Holmes flipped his usual draft philosophy this year, going safer at tackle and more pass-rush-focused at edge

Watch the full segment on YouTube: NFL Draft Expert BREAKS DOWN Detroit Lions Draft!