ALLEN PARK — Blake Miller’s first lessons in toughness and grit came from a no-nonsense coach on his second-grade wrestling team.
“He’d have us in the wrestling room with the heat all the way up to 95 degrees running around, I’m just a little second-grader,’’ Miller said during his introductory press conference. “He preached not quitting, he preached toughness and I feel like that kind of stuck with me. You want to be a guy who’s tough, you want to be a guy who’s going to finish and not crumble and stuff. It’s hard.’’
It was a small beginning but it apparently planted the seed in Miller, an offensive tackle who is known for his work ethic, toughness and grit. It all appealed to the Detroit Lions who drafted Miller with their first-round pick (17th overall) on Thursday night. It’s expected that Penei Sewell will move to left tackle and Miller will start at right tackle where he played for four years at Clemson.
Miller credits his father and mother, Chris and Karen, for instilling his work ethic.
“I really thank my parents for seeing them my whole life— they’re mortgage and real estate agents. They work around the clock. They were always there for their clients. Seeing the work ethic they had – everyday working as hard as you could. I kinda feel I owe it to them to apply that above and beyond.’’
His folks and girlfriend Kylie Jicha, made the short trip from their home in Strongsville, Ohio, (near Cleveland) to Allen Park on Friday.
Since he got the big news on Thursday night, Miller said he watched more videos of coach Dan Campbell.
“Everything he says gets you fired up,’’ MIller said. “You listen to him speak, you can hear the passion in his voice, you can hear the character in his voice. That resonantes with me, it gets me fired up, it gets me ready to go.’’
Miller never missed a game in his four years at Clemson, under coach Dabo Swinney, which he said prepared him for the NFL.
“A lot of similarities in terms of they really value toughness, they value finish, they value grit. That’s something that was emphasized to me in college,’’ Miller said. “Just being here today, it really resonates with me. It gets me excited. I can’t say enough good things about coach Sweeney. I can’t say enough good things about Coach Campbell. They’re two incredible coaches.’’
Swinney started Miller (6-foot-7, 317 pounds) as a freshman and coached him all four years. He knew Miller had what it takes to make it to the NFL right out of the gate.
“He was made in a lab, if you’re looking for an offensive tackle. God was in a good mood when he made him. It was offensive tackle day,’’ Swinney said in a conference call on Friday. “He can run, he can play in space, he can pull and, again, he’s got what you can’t coach. He’s got some things that some of my better tackles over the years have been downgraded on a bit – that natural length and size and the strength to go along with it.’’
Miller, who was rated in the top five or six of offensive tackles in the draft, filled a need for Detroit. He said he never worried about where he fit in.
“I was making sure I was being the best version of me every day,’’ MIller said. “I think comparison is the thief of joy. So just focusing on my process day in and day out.’’
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