DETROIT — The Lions used the 17th pick in Thursday’s first round on Clemson right tackle Blake Miller, and general manager Brad Holmes made clear he feels good about it. Detroit then headed into Friday’s second and third rounds with one pick in hand, No. 50 overall, as the team kept working through a draft that could still shape the front of its offense.
Holmes did not sound like a man worried about the move. “When we think about Blake Miller, we sleep easy,” he said. “You sleep very, very well at night.”
The pick fits the way the Lions have approached the draft: reinforce the line, keep the operation stable, and make sure the quarterback is protected. The team’s only real question mark upfront along the offensive line is at left guard, which is why more help there remains one of the clearest possibilities as the draft continues.
That leaves Detroit in a familiar spot. The first-round blocker is in place, but the work is not finished, and the Lions still have to decide whether to use Day 2 to keep building inside or chase value elsewhere. With only one second-round pick, they do not have much room to miss.
Several defenders could come into the conversation if Detroit decides to lean away from the trenches. Jayden Rodriguez was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and piled up 128 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, six passes defended, four interceptions and seven forced fumbles last season. T.J. Parker had more tackles for loss than games played at Clemson, finishing with 41.5 tackles for loss in 39 games and six forced fumbles in 2024. Shemar McNeil-Warren posted 138 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, 12 passes defended and three interceptions over the last two seasons while being used a lot in the box and at the line of scrimmage by Toledo.
There is also Avieon Ponds, whose size makes him easy to notice at 5-foot-8 and 182 pounds, but who backed it up with 12 passes defended last season and only one flag. Abdul Carter is another name with top-end production, passing Matt Millen and finishing No. 6 on Penn State’s all-time sack list with 23.5 sacks while adding three blocked punts, which tied a single-season school record. Joshua Young, listed at 6-5 and 256 pounds, finished second in the SEC in tackles for loss with 16.5 and third in pressures with 53 last season while posting 16.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.
Detroit does not have the luxury of waiting long if it wants to keep fortifying the line or add another impact piece on defense. The Miller pick gave the Lions a reason to feel better about the front. No. 50 overall will tell them whether they can feel even better by the end of Friday.
