2018 NFL Draft: Where will Virginia’s Quin Blanding Land?

Safety Quin Blanding thrived as a Virginia Cavalier, but does he offer enough potential to earn an early round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft?

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Quin Blanding entered the college football landscape as one of the most highly touted players in the entire country. A consensus five-star prospect out of high school, Blanding was Virginia’s most prized recruit. However, scouts still aren’t convinced that he has what it takes to be a starting safety at the NFL level.

In terms of his college career, Blanding was an extremely reliable option for the Cavaliers, playing in at least 12 games in each of his four seasons at Virginia. In addition to his health, Blanding’s play was also exceptionally consistent. Blanding would register at least 115 tackles in each of his four seasons, finishing his college career with 492 total tackles along with 10 interceptions.

After securing All-ACC honors in both his junior and senior years, Blanding made it known that he was among the best at his position. However, many scouts don’t see his success at the college level translating to the NFL.

Strengths

As mentioned, one of Blanding’s greatest attributes is his consistency. In addition to his durability, Blanding has an exceptional nose for the football, making him a great run-stopper. Blanding displays a great all-around awareness, likely due to his experience at the position.

Blanding’s strong hands and overall awareness helped him combine for 10 interceptions over four years. Despite being solid in the run game, Blanding plays very conservative in coverage in an effort to limit the amount of times he’s beaten deep. He also displays great size in comparison to most at his position, coming in at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds.

Weaknesses

One of the biggest criticisms of Blanding’s game is his lack of speed. His conservative approach in coverage is a result of his lack of speed and agility, often allowing receivers to hit the gap between him and other defenders. Additionally, Blanding’s placement on the field gave ball-carriers a few more yards to work with before meeting him in the second level.

While Blanding has the intangibles to be successful in coverage, his lack of burst and slow feet factor into his struggles in man-coverage. College football served as a safe-haven from some of these issues, but scouts expect opposing offenses to take advantage of Blanding’s shortcomings on a more consistent basis in the NFL.

Next: Latest 2018 NFL Mock Draft post Combine

Draft Expectations

Blanding’s wide array of both strengths and weaknesses make it difficult for scouts to determine what kind of results he will see in the NFL. Blanding’s consistency is especially valuable and could make him an intriguing depth pick. However, general managers won’t be looking for the kind of safety depth Blanding offers until later in the draft.

Projection: Early sixth-round pick