Lions GM Brad Holmes has hoped to draft Blake Miller for years, considered trading up for him

When Lions General Manager Brad Holmes made the call to draft Clemson offensive tackle Blake Miller during the first round, it was the culmination of a years-long process of scouting him.

Holmes said after the first round that the Lions have been eyeing Miller for years, saw continued growth in him during his college career and think he'll keep getting better as a pro.

"He probably has no idea, but we've been watching Blake for about three years now and he has gotten better every single year, and that's what makes you really excited about a player like that who has a high floor but has gotten better every year," Holmes said. "Coming to this level with our offensive line coach and our ecosystem, I don't see any reason he won't continue to get better."

Miller was a starter at Clemson from 2022 to 2025 and Holmes said that a couple years ago, while watching Miller's sophomore season, he knew the Lions were going to want him.

"In '24, watching his '23 tape," Holmes said. "The first thing I saw was his urgency and athleticism, that was the first thing that caught my eye. . . . I just wrote down, 'This kid's a football player' and I was definitely hot on the guy."

Holmes said he would have been willing to trade up to get Miller, but when the Rams took quarterback Ty Simpson 13th overall, Holmes said he thought the first round was playing out in a way that Miller would be there for the Lions at No. 17.

"We definitely explored strongly about trading up, and seeing how it started to fall, probably after L.A. took the quarterback, I felt pretty good that we might be able to just get Blake," Holmes said. "Right about 14, I felt pretty good that we would be able to keep our assets and still get Blake."

The first round worked out for the Lions, and if all goes according to plan, Miller will be their starting right tackle in Week One.