Lions' Blake Miller earns top marks among NFC rookie offensive linemen
Grade: B+
The Detroit Lions drafted Blake Miller 17th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Detroit has undergone some major changes on the offensive line in the last two seasons. Longtime starting center Frank Ragnow was basically forced into retirement due to injuries at the start of last season, and veteran left tackle Taylor Decker was released back in March.
Head coach Dan Campbell also announced that All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell would be moving to the left side.
This left the door open for the Lions to draft Miller and put him in his natural spot at right tackle, which has looked like a great decision. Miller was an extremely solid and dependable college tackle, and that has continued in the NFL.
Miller looks smooth in his pass sets with good footwork and hand usage. He has great balance and anchor, and if an edge rusher is faster than him, he keeps up just enough to use his strong hands to push him up the arc and away from quarterback Jared Goff.
Aside from the occasional loss, those strong hands show up on every rep, run or pass. Once Miller gets his hands on the defender, he almost always has the play won.
In the run game, he is generating some real push and opening up lanes for the running backs. Those strong hands give him a good initial pop before he starts driving his legs. That aggressiveness sometimes hurts Miller, though. When he fires off the line, if he misses with that initial movement, he tends to stumble. But he's usually quick to recover.
Miller has already looked very smooth and natural at right tackle for the Lions, proving to be effective in both the run and pass game.
Final verdict: Miller has been the most complete of the four NFC rookie offensive linemen evaluated. His combination of reliable pass protection, physicality and run-blocking ability earns him the highest grade of the group.
Overall, three of the four rookie offensive linemen in the NFC are proving they are worthy NFL starters, with Monroe Freeling at least showing the positives of his game that are worth developing, despite the negatives.
All four teams should feel like they have made worthwhile investments in these rookies and can continue spending time and energy on their development.
Add us as a preferred source on Google