Clemson’s Blake Miller could be a ‘clean pick’ in the NFL draft

Yahoo Sports NFL analyst Nate Tice is joined by his dad – former NFL head coach Mike Tice – to discuss why the Clemson offensive lineman is one of the safer picks in this year’s class. Check out the full conversation on “Football 301” – and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.

Video Transcript

Blake Miller from Clemson started like a, a billion games at Clemson.

Never missed time, just started game after game after game.

Clean technician, another tall player, six seven, you know, six six and six eights, 317, ran well, five flat essentially, 34 and three eighths arms.

A lot to like here, a lot of games started, played exclusively right side though, at right tackle at Clemson.

In Clemson’s offense, they haven’t had really o- any offensive lineman drafted in years.

Charles and I were trying to think of John Simpson, who’s with the Ravens now is one, but that’s not really been a factory for offensive lineman, mostly because of that offense .

but what’d you think about Blake Miller, Dad?

how, how high you rank him?

I, I- Just what, what thoughts on him?

I, I like him, Nate.

Um- Yeah I, I like, I like his style of play, I like his size.

I think he’s gonna be an excellent pro.

He’s got really good quickness, he gets out of his stance like a, a shotgun.

he’s got great foot fire on contact in the run game, that means he moves his feet on contact, he doesn’t block two and then through.

He’s got great foot fire, he’s aggressive, he’s quick.

Gets a little high like all these tall guys, but I, I think in every single guy six six and above I say gets a little high at times and that- Yeah that just happens.

my, my, my thing that I don’t like about him is a technique thing, and it’s because the way he’s been taught, but I’m a vertical set guy, so any time I see someone vertically set I’m gonna fall in love with him, i.e., Freeland from Georgia.

Um- Yeah but he’s a 45 degree set guy, which is, which is- Yeah no big deal and, and because that’s a, a way to win and that’s the way you teach it, it’s another way.

Also, he’s a fork lifter, so that means he comes up from- Yeah underneath, and he’s got those, big long 34-inch arms and I think the fork lifting thing is gonna give him a little bit of trouble in the NFL with some of these guys that use their hands so well.

I think they’re gonna knock him down, but that’s, that’s just me talking.

he’s got good feet to the second level, really good change of dir- I like this player, Nate, I like him a lot.

Yeah.

uh- He grew on me my, my notes go on and on and on and on.

Again, good COD, good COD, good lateral, really good athlete that like you said, Nate, he’s played a lot of football and it shows.

I mean, he does this move where he slaps hands down, uh- Yeah and then resets.

he, he, he’s a good football player.

I think he’s gonna be a good prospect for somebody, and somebody’s gonna be happy for, and he’s obviously played a lot of ball.

I don’t know if he’s had any injuries, I don’t get to go that deep.

Nope.

But- He’s a high man I think that this guy could be a clean pick for somebody and, and play a long time for some football team.

I, I, yeah, that, I, he’s a guy that really grew on me.

I, like the more I watched him, I mean also the tools were maybe even a little better than I was anticipating.

I thought he’d be a solid size, all that, he had a good length and everything, ’cause he’s like long-torsoed too.

Like, you know, he’s long-armed and long-torsoed, you usually- Yeah don’t get that combo.

and yeah, I, I, I devi- I, I described him as a brisk mover, you know?

He’s a- brisk mover.

He’s, he’s just so clean with some stuff.

I, I thought that some of the hand placement stuff could get a little wide.

I thought you could tighten that a little bit.

Little wide.

But h- yeah, but he can recover.

Like he can, “Oh, oh, I’m wide,” oh, and then kinda just work his hands back in at times.

Yeah.

Not all the time, but better than I anticipated.

a guy that I’m very comfortable taking in the back half of the first round-

Clemson’s Blake Miller could be a ‘clean pick’ in the NFL draft

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