After being taken by the Detroit Lions with the 17th overall pick in the first round of April’s NFL Draft, former Clemson standout Blake Miller made his preseason NFL debut on Thursday against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, playing the entire first half at right tackle.
NFL Network analyst and former NFL player Brian Baldinger broke down film of Miller’s debut and clearly liked what he saw from the 6-foot-6, 320-pounder.
In his film breakdown series on social media, Baldinger — a former offensive lineman who had a 13-year NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles — praised Miller’s showing and stated that he “looked like he belongs” in the NFL.
It was a clean performance from the 22-year-old, who did not allow a sack or commit a penalty.
“I thought it was a good debut for Blake Miller,” Baldinger said. Lot of football, played the entire first half. All you want to do is see improvement every day from him.”
Baldinger noted that going up against elite pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson every day in training camp can speed up the rookie’s learning curve.
Miller is tracking to start right away for the Lions this season at right tackle after Detroit moved All-Pro Penei Sewell to left tackle to fill the void left by the departure of veteran Taylor Decker.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell also weighed in on Miller’s performance in his preseason debut, saying he hardly noticed Miller during the contest – and that’s a big compliment for the rookie taking care of business quietly.
“Until I really watch the film, I can’t make a true judgment,” Campbell said, via The Tennessean. “I’ll tell you this, though, I didn’t feel like my eyes were ever on he or Larry (Borom), and that’s a positive. … That’s a pretty good sign. Like, man, they’re handling their business. Because I didn’t feel like we had any issues on the perimeter with those two guys in there.
“So, I thought he did a good job. We’ll turn on the tape, but I thought he handled it … well.”
Miller was a mainstay on Clemson’s offensive line for the last four seasons, breaking the school record for career snaps from scrimmage by playing 3,778 offensive snaps over his 54 career games (all starts) from 2022-25. The three-time All-ACC selection also set the Clemson record for consecutive starts by a non-specialist with 54.
Miller became Clemson’s highest-selected offensive lineman since 1960, when Lou Cordileone was selected by the New York Giants with the No. 12 overall pick and Harold Olson was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals with the No. 13 overall pick.
Back in June, Campbell said Miller possesses the “right” mindset in the way he goes about his business.
“He wants to do it right,” Campbell said. “He tries to do what you ask him to do, what he’s coached to do. It’s just, it’s early. There’s things he learns every day. Look, even for not being a physical aspect to this with pads, that D-line doesn’t cut him really any slack, either. So, whoever lines up over him is trying to [make things tough on him].
“That’s kind of part of it. So, Sewell went through it a little bit, [Hutchinson] went through it a little bit. They just kind of all want their [good reps]. Not in a bad way. So, he’s learning. And as long as he continues to grow and just take these small steps every day, he’ll be fine.”
