2019 NFL Draft Prospects: Safeties - Marquise Blair, Utah

This former All-State selection from Ohio started his collegiate career at Dodge City Community College, where he was a first-team junior college All-American for two straight years. When Blair joined the Utes, he quickly earned the respect from their coaches and started six of nine games, before missing the rest of the season with a head injury. In 2018 he received second-team All-Pac 12 honors, starting all 14 games and recording 59 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble, while being a huge piece to Utah’s defense that was second in their conference in terms of points allowed.

Build and range-wise Blair is very similar to Alabama’s Deionte Thompson with excellent length for the position. When he sees runs heading towards the perimeter, he shows the range from 15 yards deep to fly up there and make stops at the line of scrimmage. What I really like about his approach there is that he always aims at the outside hip to force the ball-carrier back inside if he wasn’t able to finish the tackle.

Blair has experience in the box or as a hang-defender as well, where he shows the toughness to take on run fits. As a tackler he attacks low and shoots through the legs of the ball-carrier. He put a big hit on Washington running back Myles Gaskin when they squared up in the regular season last year, as he put that guy flat on his back, but was called for a target penalty (which I didn’t think was the right call). Blair was also rushed off the edge on some occasions, especially at the goal-line, where he has the quick burst to run guys down from behind.

Blair can open up and run better than most players in this class. He won’t let eye-candy fool him and stays disciplined as the single-high safety, consistently staying deeper and the deepest. That kid has tremendous closing speed and I thought his PBU numbers could have been way higher, as he knocked some balls out at the last moment or was just a tad late on several snaps.

According to Pro Football Focus, Blair was number two in receptions and yards allowed in coverage among all safeties last season. At the Senior Bowl I thought he showed patience by not opening up his hips prematurely against double-moves in one-on-one drills with the receivers. He definitely has the size and athletic tools to develop in man-coverage, which he looked solid at in limited reps with Utah.

The Utah safety will drift too deep and allow plenty of completions underneath him. His instincts are below-par, as you see him sink in areas where there is no real threat at times.

Blair only had one interception and four pass break-ups (two versus Weber State and San Jose State each) during his two years with the Utes, not really being an effective playmaker in the passing game. His angles towards the ball can be a little too aggressive and he has to break down in open space more frequently and consistently. I think Blair would benefit from adding some mass to his slender frame as he is entering the league. He was also ejected three times for targeting over these last two years.

Blair is an intrigiuing prospect because he has the range, aggressiveness and closing speed you want to see from an early draft-pick at free safety. The lack of plays on the ball is concerning if you are looking or a difference-maker on the back-end, but I think he has everything needed to develop. Blair will need to work on his body in the weight room and I need to see a quicker trigger from him before I trust him on the field, but he could be starter material from year two on.

Grade: Top 100