Detroit Lions UDFA Profile: OL Mason Miller

Following the NFL Draft, the focus immediately shifts to the acquisition of undrafted free agents. This is a part of the Draft Weekend where Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes shines. In every season of the Holmes and Dan Campbell regime, at least one UDFA has made the initial 53-man Lions roster. 

This season, a trendy pick for the Detroit Lions in mock drafts was North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel. While Zabel was off the board 11 picks before Detroit was on the clock in the first round, his teammate, Mason Miller, inked a contract with the team minutes after the draft ended. Some believe Miller has the best chance among the 11 incoming UDFAs to make the roster. 

His former offensive coordinator, Tyler Roehl, is inside the Lions’ organization, serving as tight ends coach. Miller was the first announced UDFA to sign with Detroit following the draft.

With the Lions having little experience outside of Dan Skipper for reserve tackles, he is a player that the organization can invest in and develop.

Strengths

Experience is a big part of Miller's appeal. He ended his career at NDSU by starting all 41 games in which he was available over his final three seasons. He was a mainstay in one of the top FCS offenses in the country over the last three years. In his first two years, he was a rotational backup in 20 games.

That transitions into Miller’s next strength: his versatility. In addition to his 29 starts at right tackle in his last three seasons, Miller added 12 starts at left guard in 2023. In the weeks leading up to the draft, he worked out at all five offensive line positions. While not viewed as versatile as his teammate, Zabel, Miller was a prospect that checked all the boxes and should not have fallen out of the draft.

How about Miller’s play? In his final campaign, Miller graded out pretty great, too. Miller only allowed one sack, two TFLs, and committed one penalty in the regular season for the Bison as a senior. In the postseason, he allowed one more sack in the four-game push that ended with an FCS national championship.

He graded out at 79.9 as a pass-blocker and 74.9 as a run-blocker, per PFF in 2024. His play in 2024 earned him FCS All-American honors from the Associated Press. 

In addition to his accolades, he has the right length expected for an NFL tackle. At 6-foot-7, he brings size to the table, and his arm length is more than adequate to avoid being bumped back inside. Both of the Lions' selections in the 2025 NFL Draft (Tate Ratledge and Miles Frazier) are interior linemen, and while Miller could play there in a pinch, his size slots him at the tackle spot.

Weaknesses

As expected from any FCS player heading to the NFL, the primary concern becomes the level of competition. Miller played against the lower level of Division One college football last season.

In his three seasons as a starter, Miller only played Power Four competition twice: against Arizona in 2022 and Colorado in 2024. He was not an overwhelmingly dominant player, either, especially when compared to Zabel or William & Mary’s Charles Grant (selected 99th overall by the Raiders). 

Miller did have a leg injury in college, too, breaking his right fibula in 2022. He started every game in the two seasons since. However, a significant leg injury is expected to draw some concern in the draft evaluation process.

Additionally, he was replaced at the right tackle spot by Zabel in 2023, bumping inside to left guard for that season. Whether it was play based or injury based, that drew questions.

His athleticism is marked as a bit questionable, with his relative athleticism score (RAS) ranked No. 343 among the nearly 1,750 offensive guards which have been NFL Draft prospects since 1987. That number was bolstered by his length and bench-press reps (28), with all the rest of his scores being in the middle-tier. 

The media will get its first glimpse of Miller as a Lion, alongside all of the Lions' draft picks, at Detroit’s rookie minicamp May 9-11. Organized team activities are scheduled for May 28-30 and June 3-5. Unlike prior years, the Lions have cancelled mandatory minicamp due to training camp starting earlier, with the team playing in the Hall of Fame game on July 31.

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