Redskins: 3 safety prospects to watch at the 2019 NFL Combine

Over the past two years, the Redskins have shown a preference for developmental safeties. In 2017, they drafted Michigan State safety Montae Nicholson in the fourth round of the NFL Draft, and in 2018, they made a similar move, taking Troy Apke and his 4.34 40-yard dash in the same round.

Nicholson panned out for a year and half, but a very unpleasant conclusion to his 2018 season leaves his future in question. And Apke, for all his speed, has lots of development to do before he’s ready to start. That said, the Redskins’ mold might not change, as they seem to like adding safeties with physical upside. Thus, one option who can’t be ruled out is Utah’s Marquise Blair.

Blair, who has a 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame, logged 59 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions, two pass deflections, and a forced fumble in his senior season with the Utah Utes. Although he wasn’t near the ball as much as some would like, he showed decent instincts as a single high safety, and he’s a homing missile as a tackler when he has a clear lane to the ball carrier (His tackling angles are inconsistent, however).

Blair currently projects as a Day 3 pick, but his combine performance could raise his stock; his tape shows flashes of stellar athleticism, and if those flashes are quantified in a solid combine showing, then Blair could rise up a lot of boards. He has some red flags; injury issues and academic ineligibility have plagued him in the past. But if he’s a good enough athlete, some teams, including the Redskins, could gamble on his potential.