An aggressive pass rusher, Appalachian State defensive lineman Ronald Blair is a mystery in this years draft. With injury and off the field concerns in the air, Blair’s 12.5 sacks from the past two seasons may not help him retain his day two pick projections.
Playing at both defensive end and tackle, Ronald Blair won the Sun Belt Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year after recording 70 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and seven and a half sacks.
Here’s a quick look at what NFL teams will be getting from Ronald Blair.
Arrowhead Addict
Measurables
Height: 6’2
Weight: 284 lbs
Arm Length: 34″
Hands: 10.25″
Combine Results
40 Yard Dash: 5.15 seconds
Bench Press: 32 reps
Vertical: 30″
Broad Jump: 113″
3 Cone Drill: 7.95 seconds
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.53″
Strengths
Blair plays with both of his hands in the ground and his hips in the air, helping him get leverage off of the snap. Despite being a prototypical bull rusher, he shows decent a swim move and uses his large hands to his advantage. Blair was a two-year team captain and was widely viewed as a leader in the Appalachian State locker room.
Weaknesses
Blair is vulnerable against the run and struggles to find the ball carrier. If the runner is bouncing to the outside, he fails to locate him and is lost for the remainder of the play. While he sets up low, his can attack too high and lose his pad levels.
Blair suffered a thumb injury in 2013 that required surgery and forced him to miss the entire year.
He also has faced legal issues several times, mostly relating to alcohol. The biggest one NFL teams will be looking into is when he was arrested for driving after consuming alcohol as a minor. He has also been issued a citation related to alcohol use.
Final Thoughts
Ronald Blair has the strength and raw talent to be an edge threat in the NFL, but his off the field issues and inconsistent attack points will leave much to be desired. Look for him to be an option early in the third round.