Riggo's Rag
FanSided

Redskins UDFA Spotlight: Quin Blanding is an elite tackler with a tough roster battle

By Jacob Camenker

ANNAPOLIS, MD - DECEMBER 28: Running back Keoni-Kordell Makekau #36 of the Navy Midshipmen is tackled by safety Quin Blanding #3 of the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half of the Military Bowl at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on December 28, 2017 in Annapolis, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
ANNAPOLIS, MD - DECEMBER 28: Running back Keoni-Kordell Makekau #36 of the Navy Midshipmen is tackled by safety Quin Blanding #3 of the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half of the Military Bowl at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on December 28, 2017 in Annapolis, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
DURHAM, NC – OCTOBER 01: Quin Blanding #3 of the Virginia Cavaliers tackles Daniel Jones #17 of the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium on October 1, 2016 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC – OCTOBER 01: Quin Blanding #3 of the Virginia Cavaliers tackles Daniel Jones #17 of the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium on October 1, 2016 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

Blanding’s on-field performance

When watching Blanding in action, it’s clear that he is one of the better tacklers from the 2018 NFL Draft class. He has the statistical production to back this up, but on tape, he truly is an elite tackler.

Blanding has elite instincts and that allows him to quickly react to ball carrier on running plays. When running backs come out of the backfield with the ball, Blanding is quick to recognize they have the ball and he comes towards the line of scrimmage with a purpose. And then, the way he makes stops is even more impressive.

When Blanding is making a tackle, he does an excellent job of squaring up the player when he goes in for the stop. He takes very good angles and is able to ensure that he is in the proper position to hit his opponent hard. He wraps up his opponents very well and his play strength is very good. All of this, coupled with his high level of intelligence, should make him a solid tackler at the NFL level.

More from Commanders News

The major concern surrounding Blanding is his lack of speed for the safety position. While the Redskins drafted one of the fastest safeties in the draft in Penn State’s Troy Apke (4.32 second 40-yard dash), Blanding’s time in the 40 wasn’t very good.

Blanding clocked in at 4.63 seconds and that generally matched what was seen on tape. He’s not much of an athlete and lacks deep speed. Blanding will have trouble keeping up with faster players and for that reason, he won’t fit well into a man coverage scheme. He definitely won’t be able to function as a deep, center field safety, and he will probably have to be a box safety if he wants to be effective.

While Blanding lacks versatility in the secondary, there’s a chance that he could also play the linebacker position. He has enough size (6-foot-2) to play there and he could bulk up from his 207 pound weight if a team wanted to play him there. However, it would be more likely that he would play linebacker occasionally in sub packages while mainly being a safety.

Blanding is an extraordinary player. He played in an absurd 98 percent of his team’s snaps during his four years in Virginia and his instincts and tackling skills are off the chart. He has the talent necessary to play a role in the NFL, but finding that with the Redskins could end up being difficult.

Home/Commanders News