Blake Miller Is Becoming a First-Round NFL Draft Name Teams Can't Ignore

Clemson's Blake Miller may be the safest and most reliable offensive tackle prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. A 54-game starter, Miller projects as an instant contributor at the game's second-most premium position. That should make him a first-round pick.

Miller recently spoke exclusively with NFL Draft On SI. Miller discussed why starting 54 career games at Clemson will ease his transition to the pro game, his excellent performance at the NFL Combine, his favorite plays to run in the playbook, and more.

NFL Draft Interview: Clemson's Blake Miller Is Instant Starter at RT

JM: You started 54 career games at Clemson. What an incredible feat. How do you think that experience will help you transition to the next level?

Blake Miller: With experience comes knowledge. When you’ve played as much as I have, you certainly start to pick up on different tells and signs that defenders have. You just gain a lot of knowledge in general.

It’s helped me take in information more quickly. I definitely have a higher football IQ because of it. It’s ultimately helped me play faster.

JM: You also recently participated at the NFL Combine. You were excellent, running a 5.04, leaping a 32-inch vertical, 9-foot-5 broad jump, and 32 reps on the bench press. I imagine you were satisfied with the performance?

Blake Miller: Yeah, I was pretty satisfied. I would have liked to run .05 faster to run the 40-yard dash in just under five seconds [4.99] (laughs). You can’t get everything you want though. A 4.99 would have been awesome, but I’m happy nonetheless.

JM: As you should be. What feedback are you hearing from NFL teams? Is it pretty much plug and play at right tackle? That's how I see it. You're an instant starter at right tackle in my books. That makes you a first-round prospect.

Blake Miller: Everyone has a different outlook on me as a player. It’s honestly been fun and interesting for me to hear all of these different perspectives. I’ve really enjoyed the pre-draft process so far.

Everyone I’ve met has a little bit of knowledge and feedback to offer me. It’s ultimately helped me prepare better. I’ve become a better player because of it.

Blake Miller - Clemson NFL Draft — Feb 28, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller (OL35) speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

JM: I imagine everyone is aligned with you playing tackle? You’re versatile, but you just add so much value at offensive tackle, a premium position.

Blake Miller: Yeah, I’ve had the occasional guard question, but it’s pretty aligned at offensive tackle. Most people see me playing offensive tackle at a pretty high level.

JM: As they should. Is Blake Miller an athlete in space, or a powerful blocker in a phone booth? If you had to choose one…

Blake Miller: If I had to pick one, I’d probably say an athlete in space. With everything I do, I want to be fast, I want to be snappy, twitchy, and athletic. If I had to pick one, it would be that.

JM: What was your favorite play to run in the playbook last season? Break it down for me. I always love hearing this answer from offensive linemen.

Blake Miller: I’ll get pretty out there on this one. Throughout the majority of the season, we had a formation called “fridge left.” We’re bringing in Peter Woods, our big defensive tackle to play fullback.

We had Adam [Randall] and Cade [Klubnik] in the backfield. We’re bringing in two or three more offensive linemen for a jumbo package. I’m basically out to the “wing” on the left side of the formation.

That was our “fridge left” formation. We had a 100% success rate running the ball behind me up to that point. I pitched it to my coaches after seeing that Trent Wiilliams play against the Green Bay Packers where he got to go out in motion and be a kick-out guy.

I told my coaches, we’re 100% to my side, what’s the defense gonna do if I go in motion? We’re gonna catch them off guard. We called “fridge left”, toss right. We basically called a speed sweep to the right with me in motion.

I got to go out there in motion and kick out the first guy I see (laughs). That was a fun one. We got into the end zone for a touchdown against Duke. We ran it twice against Duke. The first one, I wasn’t perfect on my block, but we scored. The second one, my block was much better, but we didn’t score. I like the first one better (laughs).

JM: That's an incredible breakdown. That was so much fun (laughs). Did you have any formal interviews at the NFL Combine? Do you have any in-person visits or anything like that on your calendar?

Blake Miller: I feel like I’ve talked to 30-31 teams to be honest with you. I've completed a bunch of in-person visits and I have more coming up on the calendar. I've also met with a bunch of teams virtually as well. I've talked to just about everyone.

JM: You’ve essentially met with all 32 teams in the NFL. There’s a ton of interest in you and it’s easy to see why. We've appreciated your time today. When a team uses an early draft pick on Blake Miller, what kind of guy are they getting?

Blake Miller: They’re going to get a guy who is determined to be the best. I want to be one of the best to ever play this game. I’m going to work my tail off to achieve that. I’ll do everything humanly possible to meet our goals.

I thoroughly enjoy the process of getting better every single day. I want to be the best player I can be for my teammates.