Dallas Cowboys 2018 draft profile: Quin Blanding

We continue our draft profile series today, as we look at a player who could help strengthen the Dallas Cowboys secondary, UVA safety Quin Blanding.

With NFL Free Agency in its third week, it seems pretty clear that the Dallas Cowboys are not going to use it to upgrade their safety position. And Quin Blanding could be a great value pick to the Dallas secondary.

Blanding is a 21-year old, 6’2, 215 pound safety out of the University of Virginia. In his senior season at UVA in 2017, he recorded 136 total tackles, 61 solo, 3.5 tackles for loss, and four interceptions.

Over the course of his four-year career at UVA, Blanding tallied 10 interceptions, and all but his sophomore year recorded double digit picks in each season.

Blanding also recorded 115 or more tackles in every season, leading him to be the ACC leading solo tackles in 2016, and the number four total tackler in the NCAA in his career, which is an amazing stat.

As shown by his outstanding stats, Blanding’s biggest strength is his ability to get to the ball and make tackles. He has outstanding size for a safety, and is extremely durable, playing in 49 games throughout his four-year career.

Blanding is good at playing the ball in the air downfield, and plays with great effort, which you can easily see in his tape.

The 21 year old is not an outstanding overall athlete however, and did not test great at the NFL Scouting Combine. His 4.63 40-yard dash showed that he does not have great speed, which may limit him some in man coverage.

Although he does not have athletic ability that will blow you away, the UVA safety should be able to step in and contribute for an NFL team. The Cowboys may be a good fit for Blanding, as they do not play much more zone coverage schemes than man. 

Next: Cowboys free agent moves point to defensive draft

If the Dallas Cowboys strike out on their top rated safeties in this draft, Blanding would be an excellent value pick in the middle rounds.

Draft Projection: Round 4