Detroit, MI
Blake Miller has high floor, big upside, says Lions GM Brad Holmes
Inside Detroit Lions 2026 Round 1 NFL Draft pick of OL Blake Miller
Free Press sports writers Dave Birkett and Shawn Windsor talk Detroit Lions 2026 NFL Draft Round 1 pick of OL Blake Miller on Thursday, April 23, 2026.
The first time Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes noticed Blake Miller was 2024, when he was watching tape of Clemson in Miller’s sophomore season.
Holmes doesn’t remember who Miller was playing or what exactly he did in the game, but he thought enough of the young lineman – in his second of four seasons as a starter – to write a note to himself: “This kid’s a football player.”
Two years later, after seeing steady growth in Miller’s development, Holmes made Miller the 17th pick of the first round in the 2026 NFL Draft – and the final piece of the Lions’ rebuilt offensive line.
“His urgency and athleticism, that was the first thing that really kind of caught my eye,” Holmes said. “I thought he had some things that he needed to work on from a strength-development standpoint, but I said – so this is off of ‘23 tape –I was like, ‘Man, if this guy gets stronger, man, this guy’s a football player here.’
“And sure enough, ’24 came, he got better. And ’25, it was like, ‘25, it was to the point where it was like, ‘Yeah, there’s no issues here.’ And it’s a testament to him and his work ethic, so I’m not surprised ’cause this guy’s a high football-character individual.”
Miller is expected to compete immediately at starting right tackle on a Lions offensive line that could have new starters at four different positions this fall.
All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell is expected to move to left tackle to replace the departed Taylor Decker. Free-agent addition Cade Mays will take over for Graham Glasgow at center. The Lions plan to have a training camp competition for the left guard job, where Christian Mahogany returns at starter. And Miller should vie with Larry Borom for the starting job at right tackle.
Tate Ratledge, a second-round pick out of Georgia last year, also returns as a starter at right guard.
Miller said in a conference call Thursday he’s “more than happy to fill in” wherever needed.
“My goal is just to come in and work as hard as I humanly can to be the best player I can humanly be and, at the end of the day, however the cards fall from there, I can live with,” he said.
At Clemson, Miller was one of college football’s top ironmen. He started all 54 games in his four-year career, twice earned first-team All-ACC honors and set a school record for most snaps played from scrimmage (3,778).
Miller said he doesn’t recall missing a game in middle school or high school.
“I honestly don’t know that I’ve missed a game,” he said.
And he takes immense pride in his durability.
“At the end of the day, if I’m able to play, whether it’s through injury or whether I’m blessed enough to be completely healthy, I think I owe it to my teammates to be on the field,” he said. “There’s so many people in any organization that put in so much work, not only just your teammates but also, too, staff, support staff, people behind the scenes. I owe it to them to be available and to pay it forward to them.”
Beyond his college experience, Holmes said, Miller checked “a lot of boxes” the Lions look for in their linemen as a big, tough, smart, high-floor player with plenty of upside.
At 6 feet 7 and 317 pounds, Miller was considered one of the most athletic linemen in the draft; Holmes called him “one of the better run-blocking tackles.”
“He’s been very durable thus far,” Holmes said, knocking on the wooden lectern in front of him. “But look, that’s a big-time program. I mean, they’ve played some big-time football and he’s gone against some really good pass rushers in his career and how he’s held up vs. the pass rushers that he’s faced throughout his career going back to previous year film, it says a lot.
“I’ll tell you what, when you think about Blake Miller, you sleep easy. You sleep very, very good at night, and so that’s what gets us fired up.”
Miller said he met with the Lions in the pre-draft process and felt an connection to the culture. When he talked Thursday, he referenced many of the buzzwords common to the organization – grit, toughness, finishing – and said his favorite part of playing offensive line is “you get to go out there and you get to take someone’s will every play.”
“I love the grit, love the toughness that’s emphasized just kind of outside looking in and I really want to uphold that standard,” he said.
Holmes said the Lions considered trading up in Round 1 around the time three offensive linemen – Utah’s Spencer Fano, Miami (Florida)’s Frances Mauigoa and Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor – came off the board in a four-pick span to the Cleveland Browns (No. 9), New York Giants (No. 10) and Miami Dolphins (No. 12).
He also received one trade-down call when the Lions were on the clock, but he didn’t want to risk losing a player he said is “going to be a good starting tackle already.”
“I think there’s a lot of growth left in him and that’s hard to find,” Holmes said. “Some guys they have a really high ceiling but the floor is not as high and so there’s a little bit more development. Look, these are all rookies so they’re going to have their lumps and all that, we expect that, but it’s hard to find guys that have the floor, still have growth, cause this guy, when you start matching up his athleticism numbers and all of that to these other tackles, he’s right up in the mix. So we’ll see how high it goes but I don’t have any hesitation or any reservations that he’s going to continue to get better.”
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
The Detroit Red Wings announced on Wednesday that Steve Yzerman is stepping down from his role as GM and executive vice president.
Yzerman will continue working with the organization as a senior advisor to Red Wings governor and CEO Chris Ilitch.
The Red Wings are now searching for a new head of hockey operations.
“Steve’s lifetime of contributions to the Red Wings has meant more to this franchise than words can truly express, and I have the highest level of respect for his continued commitment to our organization,” Ilitch said in a statement. “We are thankful for Steve’s hard work and dedication as General Manager and are grateful knowing Steve will remain where he belongs – here with the Red Wings family.”
Yzerman returned to Detroit in April 2019 after a successful front office career with the Tampa Bay Lightning, replacing longtime GM Ken Holland.
“I am sincerely grateful to Chris and the entire Ilitch family,” Yzerman said in a statement. “This organization has given me incredible opportunities, from my time as a player to the privilege of returning as General Manager. I’ve appreciated every experience throughout the years, and I’m extremely proud to remain part of this great franchise.”
As the Red Wings commence their search for Yzerman’s replacement, Yzerman will remain in his current role to facilitate the day-to-day of hockey operations until a replacement is named. The organization says it will consider both internal and external candidates for the role.
“Clearly, we are not where we and our fans expect to be as an organization,” Ilitch said. “I’m looking forward to bringing in new leadership to build the championship-caliber organization Hockeytown deserves.”
“My commitment to the Red Wings and this community will never waver, and I look forward to supporting the organization in whatever role is needed to achieve our collective goals,” Yzerman said. “I want to thank our passionate fanbase for their support, as they are what makes Detroit and the entire state of Michigan a very special place in the hockey world.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
DETROIT ― The crowd wasn’t large ― a smattering of about 40 or so people at Detroit’s historic Palmer Park just north of downtown on a warm and muggy summer evening.
The people who did show up were there because they feared something precious could be lost: the relationships between therapists and the people who trust them with their deepest wounds.
This is what democracy often looks like. A tent. Some speakers. Livestreaming on social media. And waning sunlight seemingly trying to figure out whether to set in fiery red-orange or fade behind rainclouds.
It was my pleasure to witness this moment firsthand because we live in a new era ― a period when the most powerful leaders in our government increasingly move to trample on our First Amendment rights. This was the second time within the past 30 days that I have found myself covering the debate surrounding Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s planned reimbursement policy changes affecting limited licensed mental health clinicians.
I’ve written previously about the policy itself. This time, though, something else captured my attention.
It was the people.
Last Friday night’s rally was organized by Caitlin Fleming, a mental health therapist and co-founder of Healer’s Choice, who demonstrated the kind of leadership that rarely makes headlines but often changes communities. She listened as much as she spoke. She created space for others to tell their stories. She reminded those gathered that advocacy is less about anger and more about refusing to become invisible.
At one point, Fleming shared that she lost her former husband to suicide.
Her words carried weight, especially because only days earlier I had written about losing my aunt Geraldine and how grief leaves permanent marks on those left behind. Mental illness, suicide and trauma are not abstract policy debates. Nearly every family carries a story. Every interruption in care has a human face.
That reality echoed through the entire evening.
Mars DeWitt, a limited licensed clinician who previously worked as a teacher, reminded us that change has happened before in Detroit. After addressing the audience, DeWitt told me that they watched the fight for teacher pay, recalling Detroit educators’ successful efforts to improve salaries. “So, I know it’s possible for therapists to fight back in a similar way.… Detroit is one of those inspiring cities in the world because we know how to fight back.”
Their words were less criticism than a declaration of home.
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, connected the issue to another community she knows well: veterans.
“Every interruption in treatment increases the risk that a patient, including veterans, falls through the cracks,” she said. “Our veterans should not have to retell their trauma, rebuild our trust or start the therapeutic process from the beginning due to an insurance billing policy.”
Jess Riley of the National Association of Social Workers-Michigan added sobering context. Twenty-five Michigan counties have no psychiatrists. Ten neither have a psychiatrist or psychologist. The Upper Peninsula has no child psychiatrists and no pediatric psychiatric beds.
Whatever one’s position on reimbursement policy, those numbers reveal a behavioral work force already stretched dangerously thin.
Fleming also reminded the audience that communities of color are especially vulnerable to changes in insurance coverage policy because they understand what generational trauma in health care looks like. She cited historical abuses such as the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis. She emphasized that clinical supervision should not be a sign that therapists are somehow viewed as inadequate.
“We want people to be supervised not because they are not quality therapists; it’s the human experience. We should always be working in teams.
Notably, Fleming said Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has not publicly released data estimating how many patients may lose access to their current therapists under the proposed policy. She said representatives from BCBS Michigan were invited to the forum but did not participate.
Regardless of where this debate ultimately ends, something encouraging happened last Friday evening.
Citizens assembled peacefully. They exercised their First Amendment rights. They shared data, personal stories and deeply held convictions. They urged elected officials to listen. They asked a powerful institution to explain itself.
That is not something to fear.
It is something to celebrate.
That’s because healthy democracies depend on citizens who care enough to show up – even if there are only 40 of them standing together in a Detroit park at the end of a long week, refusing to believe their voices don’t matter.
Byron McCauley is a regional columnist for USA Today Co. in Michigan. Email: bmccauley@usatodayco.com; call (513) 504-8915.
(WXYZ) — The highly-anticipated premiere of “The Odyssey” is officially here, with showtimes starting Thursday across metro Detroit.
The epic, directed by Christopher Nolan, was shot entirely with IMAX cameras, the first film to be shot with them. It will be available to watch in a variety of formats in the area and across the state.
On the website for the film, it lists all of the premium format options and where you can find them. Check out the details below.
IMAX 70mm
This is the premiere format to watch the film, presented in IMAX’s 1.43:1 expanded aspect ratio, according to the website.
“It is the largest and highest-resolution format available and gives you an unparalleled sense of immersion as the image fills IMAX’s signature floor-to-ceiling screen,” the website reads.
Across the country, there are only a 30 theatres that are capable of playing IMAX 70mm, and only one in Michigan. To see the film in that format, you’ll have to go to Celebration! Cinema in Grand Rapids.
IMAX
As we’ve said, “The Odyssey” is the first feature film shot entirely on IMAX cameras. “The film was shot and designed to be experienced on the biggest screen possible, and IMAX delivers on this,” star Anne Hathaway said.
It comes in the 1.90:1 expanded aspect ratio, filling your entire field of vision.
There are several theatres showing the film in IMAX in metro Detroit. They are:
- MJR Southgate
- MJR Troy
- AMC Forum 17 in Sterling Heights
- AMC Livonia 20
- AMC Star Great Lakes
- Cinemark Ann Arbor
70mm
The 70mm film is a large format that “offers a bright, clear image up to 3 times the resolution of standard digital projection formats,” according to the website. It’s shown at a 2.20:1 aspect ratio.
In metro Detroit, there are three theatres showing it in 70mm. They are:
- MJR Southgate
- AMC Forum 17 in Sterling Heights
- AMC Livonia 20
35mm
35mm is the classic film format shown at a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. “It projects light through the entire 35 millimeter frame to deliver clear, high resolution images with rich analog color,” the website reads.
Only the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor is showing the film in 35mm.
Dolby Vision
According to the film’s website, The Dolby Vision projection system has a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio.
“Dolby Vision allows you to experience every detail and nuance captured by the large format film cameras Christopher Nolan used in production,” the website reads.
You can see the film in Dolby Vision at AMC in Clinton Township, Sterling Heights and Great Lakes.
Premium Large Format
The premium large format movie will be in either 2.39:1 or 1.85:1 aspect ratio, depending on the theatre. “It features larger wall-to-wall screens, superior projection technology, including laser projection,” the website reads.
Here are places you can see “The Odyssey” in Premium Large Format.
- MJR Southgate
- Emagine Royal Oak
- Cinemark in Taylor
- MJR in Sterling Heights
- Emagine Woodhaven
- MJR Westland
- The Riviera in Farmington
- Emagine Canton
- MJR Partridge Creek
- Emagine Rochester Hills
- Emagine Macomb
- Emagine Novi
- MJR Chesterfield
MJR Waterford - Phoenix Theatres in Monroe
- Emagine Saline
- MJR Brighton
- Emagine Hartland
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