Tennessee football: Ranking Vols by pro potential for 2022 NFL Draft
player. 839. Scouting Report. Moultrie, Ga.. Ja'Quain Blakely. 8. Pick Analysis. Defensive lineman
6’1″ 269 pounds
After redshirting in 2016, barely playing in 2017 and 2018 and then playing as a reserve in 2019 and 2020, Ja’Qain Blakely is one of those players who truly benefitted from the COVID eligibility ruling. He took advantage and emerged as a major contributor last year, playing in 13 games and starting in 10 of them.
As a hybrid defensive lineman, a position that is key in Tim Banks’ nickel-heavy 4-3 base defense, Blakely was very productive for Tennessee football. He was able to line up in the middle or on the edge, and that led to five tackles for a loss, one and a half sacks, three pass deflections and 29 tackles overall, nine of which were solo.
However, what could be seen as versatility at the college level is more of being too much of a tweener at the pro level. Tremblay doesn’t really have the speed to play on the edge in the pros, as NFL Draft Scout clocked his 40-time at 4.89, well above the necessary minimum to be productive on the edge.
Meanwhile, at 269 pounds, Blakely is obviously too small to play in the middle. As a result, he’ll have to lean on his production from college, and while he had a solid year, his physical attributes are just not there to be a pro prospect.