ALLEN PARK — On a sunny Friday afternoon following organized team activities (OTAs) at the Detroit Lions practice facility, Blake Miller was the last player to come off the field.
Typically, rookies such as Miller have scheduled media availability arranged by the team’s PR department. However, the former Clemson Tiger found himself circled by reporters eager to gauge his acclimation period with the team.
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The Lions made some adjustments to their offseason program, doing away with minicamp — something coach Dan Campbell said was no longer “worth it.” The Lions caught some flack from the NFL with their rookies struggling to make it through the initial practices, something Campbell said the league “didn’t take too kindly.
In lieu of the rookie sessions, the Lions opted to change the learning curve, throwing them right into the fire with OTAs alongside their veteran players, which Miller was fond of. He shared the early experience against the defense is “invaluable” and how much a player could learn from veterans in just one rep.
“It’s so awesome to have those guys, those veteran players out here,” Miller told reporters. “Even just watching them go through (individual drills), sitting there on the iPad, clicking through their film and watching how they do things and learning stuff from them, seeing it out there in person, the speed of it, just having those guys out here is awesome.
“And obviously, the knowledge that they can impart in between plays to you and just being able to see them do things. You really get a vision of what it’s supposed to look like.”
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The Lions selected Miller with the No. 17 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, and while he’s expected to be a significant piece for their offensive line — a projected starter by many at right tackle — he knows he has his work cut out for him. Just like at Clemson, Miller is going to have to earn his way onto the field.
As part of his transition to the NFL game, which he described as “a lot faster,” Miller’s goal is to work, learn from the veterans around him — such as Penei Sewell and Larry Borom — and be the best version of himself possible.
Because it’s OTAs, the Lions are not in full pads, a period Campbell affectionately likens to players practicing in pajamas. Without players hitting each other at full speed, it’s hard to get a real read on Miller’s game — as well as any player’s progression — other than noticing he is one of the more massive players on the team.
That said, all is not lost for the rookie tackle. Because in his mind, the work doesn’t change.
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“You can still go out there and be fast off the ball. It doesn’t mean you’re going to try and kill people once you’re getting into the fit, but you can be fast too to fit,” Miller explained. “You can improve your technique. Technique is…that’s a mountain you’re always climbing. No one’s got perfect technique out here and everyone’s trying to move it. So just continuing to hone that familiarity with the playbook.
“Like I said, looking at Xs and Os can only help you so much getting out there and repping it. Those reps are what build, for me, the best memory and then also too, you kind of learn how people are going to play things a little bit and you get that experience.”
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