CLEMSON — It is fitting that while Clemson Basketball is making its run through the ACC Tournament, former footballer Blake Miller is using basketball team’s moniker to describe the type of offensive lineman NFL teams can count on in the future.

“Gritty” is the one-word Miller used to describe his style of play following Thursday’s Clemson Pro Day at the Poe Indoor Practice Facility in Clemson.

“I feel like that is the best word,” the All-ACC left tackle said. “I want to be violent. I want to be physical. I want to finish blocks. I want to be the guy running to the ball. I want to play with grit.”

Brad Brownell and the Clemson Basketball team have used the word “Grit” to describe their program the last several years. They have even created T-shirts they hand out to students for home games after 8 o’clock, called “Grit After Dark.”

Then, of course, there is “Clemson Grit” and that is a good way to describe Miller, who started 54 consecutive games in his Clemson career – a school record for a non-specialist. And he did it as the starting right tackle on the offensive line.

It is truly a remarkable feat, which is one reason why he is considered one of the top offensive tackles in this year’s NFL Draft. Some project the 6-foot-7, 318-pounder to be a first-round draft pick, which would make him the first Clemson offensive lineman to be selected in the first round of an NFL Draft since Lou Cordileone was picked at No. 12 overall in the 1960 NFL Draft.

“That would be a tremendous honor to have for our university, all of our coaches and staff that have poured into me over the years and it is a testament to them as well,” Miller said. “If that were the case, it would be such an honor.”

Miller was already considered a highly valued pick before he attended the NFL Combine last month, but his performance at the Senio Bowl in Mobile, Ala., plus what he did during the combine has moved him up the board for teams looking for a new offensive tackle.

In Indianapolis, Ind., he recorded 32 lifts on the bench press, posted a 5.04 in the 40-yard dash, including a 1.75 in the 10-yard split. He also posted a 32-inch vertical and a 9.5-foot jump in the broad jump.

Besides doing positional drills for all 32 scouts during Thursday’s Pro Day, he also ran a 4.65 in the shuttle and a 7.75 in the long drill.

“I try not to think too much about (the NFL Draft). It is too far down the road a little bit,” Miller said. “Like I said earlier, it is such a blessing to be in this position that I am in right now. Being in this position where people are coming to watch us do Pro Day. I am at the combine talking to teams that I watched growing up on television.

“It is such a blessing to be in this position. I am so grateful to be here.”

Miller will hear his named called in the NFL Draft on April 23-25 in Pittsburgh, Pa. And whomever selects him in the draft, they are getting a “gritty” player.