Lions' Blake Miller 'made in a lab' to play OT, Dabo Swinney says

Blake Miller (78) played four seasons for Clemson's Dabo Swinney.

Miller checked in at 6-foot-6¾ and 317 pounds with 34¼-inch arms at the combine in February, all prototypical for a starting tackle in the NFL. He also tested well, with promising results in the 40-yard dash (5.04 seconds), vertical leap (32 inches) and bench press (32 reps). Miller consistently improved each season. He allowed only 14 pressures in 2025.

What Miller was able to do on the field opened the door to him becoming a first-round selection, of course. But he doesn't reach that potential without having the correct off-field mindset, Swinney said.

"There's a lot of people who have first-round talent, but they don't have first-round habits," said Swinney, who has won two national championships at Clemson. "But (Miller's) habits and how he prepared (was impressive). His sleep, his nutrition, his flexibility. All of those things. His work in the offseason, his study of film, his love of study of the film. All those things were just evident as he went through his career."

Perhaps Swinney's biggest compliment of Miller was related to how he prepares.

"We always talk about playing to a standard, practicing to a standard, preparing to a standard, and that standard doesn't change. ... It's not about being the best. It's about doing your best, working your best, preparing your best. Period. It doesn't matter if you're 0-6, 6-0, if you're down two touchdowns, if you're up two touchdowns. He lived that every single day, and any of his teammates would echo that," Swinney said of Miller.

"He lived it every single day. If you watched Blake Miller practice, you wouldn't know if we were preparing for the national championship that week or we were playing an FCS school. That's just who he is. I think his example is the greatest thing that I'll always remember about him and I think what his teammates will remember about him. Not anything particular that he did, more so just the example that he lived every single day."

rsilva@detroitnews.com

@rich_silva18

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Blake Miller was special from Day 1, says Clemson's Dabo Swinney