8. OT Dontavius Blair
Why: Penciled in by many as the starting left tackle straight out of junior college, Blair lost that battle to Jacob Gilliam and even after Gilliam’s injury, Blair was never really mentally or physically ready to be an SEC tackle in 2014.
Future Outlook: He’s one of the true wild cards for the 2015 and 2016 teams. He clearly passes the eye test with great stature at 6-foot-8 and 300 pounds. If he adds a touch more weight, he would be pretty much the prototypical left tackle in the SEC. But what about the rest? Is he physically strong enough? Can he grasp the offense? Can he move well enough at that size? Those are the questions that lingered in 2014, and spring will be the first chance we get to see how far he’s progressed. He has to at least be in the conversation for one of the tackle spots, but so will Kyler Kerbyson, Coleman Thomas, Brett Kendrick and possibly some of the newcomers. If Blair could lock down one of the tackle spots for the next two years, that could go a long way in boosting this offensive line, but it’s too early to tell if that’s realistic or not.
