The Detroit Lions made Clemson offensive tackle Blake Miller the 17th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. A four-year starter who broke the Clemson program record for career offensive snaps, Miller arrives in Detroit with an ironman résumé and a tight-knit family foundation that shaped every part of it. His father made the recruiting journey alongside him, and his younger brother is following in his footsteps. And the values instilled in Strongsville, Ohio drove a college career that Detroit Lions senior writer Tim Twentyman called a blueprint of a starting NFL right tackle.
Here are five facts about Blake Miller’s parents and family.
Blake Miller’s Father, Chris Miller, Is a Real Estate Agent
The Miller family put down roots in Strongsville, a suburb of Cleveland, where Chris Miller built a career in real estate. Blake grew up there before departing for Clemson in 2022, and Chris remained a steady presence throughout that transition. According to Total Pro Sports, the family’s Clemson connection did not begin with a scholarship offer — Blake had already identified the program as his destination well before the formal process caught up to that feeling. The grounded, working-class upbringing in Strongsville is widely credited with instilling the discipline that made Miller one of college football’s most reliable starters.
Chris Miller Accompanied Blake on His Recruiting Visits
The father-son bond between Chris and Blake was not a sideline relationship; it was an active partnership through the recruiting process. When Clemson extended a scholarship offer to Blake’s younger brother Storm in the summer of 2024, The Clemson Insider captured the scene: Chris joined Blake and Storm for lunch with Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin before Storm received his offer directly from head coach Dabo Swinney. Having a father show up not just for one son’s recruitment but to support the second one’s offer day speaks to the kind of family involvement that programs like Clemson recruit toward.
Blake’s Younger Brother Storm Miller Is a Top Linebacker Prospect
Athletic ability runs through the Miller household. Storm Miller, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound linebacker out of Strongsville High School, earned a Clemson offer in June 2024 after impressing at a Swinney Camp. At the time, Storm was ranked the No. 20 linebacker and No. 237 overall prospect in the 2026 recruiting class, per 247Sports, as The Clemson Insider reported. As a sophomore, Storm recorded 81 tackles, 10 sacks and three interceptions in just 10 games. Swinney told him directly that Clemson wanted him not only as a football player but as a character person, adding, “he knows what he’s getting when he gets a Miller.”
Blake Set the Clemson Career Snaps Record — a Feat Rooted in Family-Built Toughness
Few statistics capture durability the way raw snap counts do. Blake Miller logged 3,778 offensive snaps across 54 consecutive starts at Clemson — every game the program played from 2022 through 2025, breaking the school record for career snaps from scrimmage, according to the Detroit Lions’ official draft profile. That kind of availability does not happen by accident. It is the product of physical conditioning, mental consistency, and the sort of commitment to showing up that reflects the environment a player was raised in. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. noted that Miller was “more consistent in 2025 than in past seasons,” a trajectory pointing in the right direction heading into the NFL.
Blake Miller Arrived at Clemson Feeling It Was Already Home
Before any official visit, before any scholarship, Blake Miller had already decided Clemson was where he belonged. Storm Miller echoed that sentiment after receiving his own offer, telling The Clemson Insider that he had traveled to Clemson “almost four years” running alongside his older brother. “It really does feel like a second home at this point,” Storm said. That sense of belonging — built through years of family visits and relationship-building — reflects a household that treated college selection as a deliberate, values-driven decision rather than a transaction. Blake’s discipline and family support system, according to EssentiallySports, formed the core identity he carried into every one of his 54 starts.
Detroit Lions Draft Pick Blake Miller’s Family: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know