Round 1: Blake Miller, Offensive Tackle, Clemson

With Pick 17 in Round 1, the Detroit Lions selected right tackle Blake Miller out of Clemson. Miller is truly a veteran of the college game, starting 54 games with 52 starts at right tackle in his college career.

There are many things to like about Miller as a prospect. He exudes high-level football character, is tough, and displayed amazing availability at Clemson. Availability and the consistency of that availability were likely things that pushed the Lions to select him over other prospects. He is big, strong, has great length, and plays with some toughness and fire.

Miller tested like an elite-level athlete, registering a 9.90 RAS score. That begs a question. Where did all that athleticism come from, because it does not readily pop on film? His high-level athleticism might be hidden in his getting upright and a little too tall out of his stance, but there’s upside here. If the Lions staff can get him playing better from a pad-level standpoint, he could really open up his game and make that athleticism mean something.

Some have talked about Miller lacking power, and he certainly needs to physically mature and play with better stopping power through a development of his anchor strength. However, I see a decent foundation there and something else that will certainly help him with power-based defenders.

The Lions are going to have to get Miller’s punch (and hands in general) sorted out. If Miller is going to have issues as a young player in the NFL, it is because he wants to grab defenders from outside his framework. He likes to grab the outside of their shoulder pads, which can lead to his chest being available to better rushers. If he gives up his chest, he is going to get walked back into the quarterback. He might also be susceptible to holding penalties with his hands situated outside on the shoulder pads.

The issues around his hands and punch are similar to the difficulties Will Campbell (No. 4 overall to New England in the 2025 NFL Draft) faced during the Super Bowl. Campbell’s issues weren’t really about his short arms; it was about him setting vertically, and getting out onto the train tracks, just waiting for a defender with his chest available. He wasn’t using his hands to fend off rushers trying to run through him, and run through him they did.

Miller doesn’t set vertically, and he should not get moved around easily as Campbell did as a rookie, but it will help Miller to get his hands tightened up and reworked, because without a little help there, he might struggle at times.

Miller fits well in Detroit as a right tackle with the decision made to move Penei Sewell to the left side of the line. There is some level of security in his 54 college starts, and the Lions are going to give veteran tackle Larry Borom and Miller the opportunity to battle it out in training camp, with the winner starting for the Lions in Week 1.

I’d expect Miller to challenge very quickly to start for the Lions when Week 1 rolls around, but it is not the worst plan to give a young player a small runway before making the step into the starting lineup.

Round 2: Derrick Moore, Defensive End, Michigan

The Lions made a small trade up with the New York Jets, coming up to pick No. 44 in Round 2, giving up pick 50 and a fourth-round pick (pick 128) to grab Moore. The Lions added Moore over prospects like Missouri’s Zion Young and Gabe Jacas from Illinois, among others.

Moore measured in at 6’4” and 255 pounds with 33-3/8-inch arms. He brings the size, length, and mass the Lions covet at the defensive end position. He plays a very physical brand of football, bringing intensity and energy to the position.

Moore’s game as a pass rusher seems to be a little bit ahead of his run game defense, but that’s not to say he is lacking there either. It looks like he has more “want to rush the passer” right now, but he displays enough in the physical department that it should come together for him. He is team-first and will set a strong edge while defending the run.

He has really good pop in his hands and can be seen jolting offensive linemen, and it really shows when he’s rushing the passer. He is not a bender running the arc, preferring to soften the edge of the lineman by running through their arms and shoulders, both inside and outside. He is good with his hands, and he reduces the distance he needs to go to get to the quarterback through physicality.

Moore does his job defending the run. I think it is reasonable to see him making more splash plays as a pass rusher right now, but putting trust in the coaching staff comes into play here. Can they get him dialed up in both phases? He’s right there, and it will not take much to extract the best out of him.

There are natural questions about Moore’s ability to win in the NFL because of how he won at Michigan. He’s not a bender with outrageous first-step quickness. Can he continue to soften the shoulder of NFL tackles to have success, or will he have to develop secondary moves? Can he get off blocks as a run defender at the NFL level?

Moore will go to camp in a rotation with D.J. Wonnum and others. It is reasonable to expect Moore to challenge others on this roster to play in Week 1, but he should definitely work onto the field as part of a rotation. Whether he starts or not is not all that significant super early in his career.

In fact, it might be best for him to be a situational pass rusher early because he can give the Lions something that others on the roster most likely cannot, and that’s juice as a pass rusher off the edge.