USFL Player Evaluation of Clemson OT Blake Miller by Luke Staton
Blake Miller is a 6’7, 317-pound true senior offensive tackle from the University of Clemson. Miller has stayed with Clemson throughout his collegiate career, impressing coaches early in 2022 and earning a starting spot at right tackle in fall camp, a role he never relinquished. His 2022 campaign earned him Freshman All-American honors. The following year, his efforts as a true sophomore earned him Third-Team All-ACC, and the next two years saw him earn two First-Team All-ACC nods to round out his career. He has improved every year at Clemson, which is impressive given how strong he started, and in his final season, he surrendered only 2 sacks and 10 pressures. In his final game in the Pinstripe Bowl against Penn State, he did not give up a single pressure.
Miller has all of the physical tools that one could want in an offensive tackle: good height, weight, and even good speed for someone of his size. His pull ability was utilized to great effect in the run game. The rest of his gap blocking is just as good as his pull, and combined with his size and strength, made him immovable in the run game. He understands leverage well, but his hand usage overall needs to improve to take the next step. His pass protection sets have been solid, but often rely on his ability to simply be physically stronger than the rusher rather than on proper technique. His footwork is inconsistent; his first step is usually very shallow, but his athleticism allows him to keep his feet moving and overpower a defender. His football IQ is very high, as he can identify the rush move being used against him and respond accordingly.
Miller will translate to the NFL as a right tackle, as that is the position he has played since he was 14. He works best as right tackle, and there is no reason to show that he could slide to the left tackle position or that such a move would benefit him. His athleticism allows him to recover against defenders well, but his shallow footwork does not always work well with his long arms and he can get swept away.
Miller’s best traits are his athleticism and IQ, as he is almost always aware of the move that the rusher is going to use against him. His gap blocking is near the top of all of the tackles in this class. If his footwork and hand placement can catch up to his mental game, he is going to be a force in the league for a long time.
Scheme Fit and Team Fit
Miller’s scheme fit is a gap power scheme due to his sheer size and strength, with his ability to overpower defenders at the line of scrimmage to open up lanes. His best team fits would be teams that run this scheme, such as the Eagles, Chargers, and Ravens. All of these teams have diverse running games that emphasize creating physical mismatches across the line of scrimmage.
NFL Player Comp: Marcus Gilbert
Miller’s player comparison is Marcus Gilbert. Both players have similar physical traits and football IQ, and both played primarily right tackle throughout their careers.
Projection: League Average Starter
I think Miller will develop into a league-average starter. He has the physical tools that teams are willing to invest time into developing, and if he is taken by a team that runs a gap power scheme well, he will find his niche and stick around for years to come.
Grade and Round Projection: 4.77, Early Second
I project Miller to be selected early in the second round. He has all of the physical tools that teams like to see in an offensive tackle, and in a world where teams like to take swings at athletic tackles like Miller, I don’t think it will be long before he’s off the board.
Leave a Reply