Marquise Blair Selected 47th Overall in 2019 NFL Draft by Seattle Seahawks

The first former Utah Utes player off the board in the 2019 NFL Draft is safety Marquise Blair, who was taken No. 47 by the Seattle Seahawks. Blair fills a huge need for the Seahawks, who lost Earl Thomas in free agency this offseason and Kam Chancellor suffered a neck injury late in the 2017 season and is unlikely to return to football. Blair is not as big as Chancellor but should fill a similar role in Seattle’s defense. Like Chancellor, Blair is a hard-hitting safety, who can play in the box.

I am really happy to see Blair off the board so early and to my favorite NFL team (remember I am from Seattle originally). I think it is a perfect fit for him, and he should shine in the Seattle defense. The Seahawks know the players that fit their system and do not necessarily draft them when analysts project them to go off the board. Most mock drafts I saw had Blair coming off the board in round 3 or 4, not halfway through round 2, but the Seahawks identified Blair as a player who fit their needs perfectly and jumped on him before another NFL team could. I expect we will see a few more former Utes come off the board before the NFL Draft wraps up tomorrow.