Horatio Benedict (H.B.) Blades is the son of former Detroit Lions safety Bennie Blades and the nephew of former Seattle Seahawks receiver Brian Blades and the late Al Blades who played safety for the 49ers. H.B. attended Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida where he played football and ran track. H.B. was a four-year starter at linebacker for Plantation, helping the team to a district championship as a freshman. As a junior, Blades finished with a school record 154 tackles, receiving all-county and second team all-state honors. As a senior he totaled 148 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 5 forced fumbles, leading Plantation to an 11-1 record and a district championship. He received all-county and first team all-state honors for his play as a senior. H.B. set school records for single game tackles (21), career tackles (409), and career starts (49). He was selected to play in the Broward-Dade county all-star game following his senior season. H.B. was considered to be one of the top 20 linebacker prospects in the nation. He was recruited by the University of Miami where his father Bennie and his uncles Brian and Al all played, but he opted to attend the University of Pittsburgh instead. H.B. became an instant contributor as a freshman for the Panthers, totaling 57 tackles on the season. He was also named Pittsburgh’s special teams player of the week after blocking a punt in the Syracuse game. As a sophomore, Blades started all 12 games at strong side linebacker. He was the team’s leading tackler with 108 stops on the year. He added 3 interceptions and 2 sacks on his way to first team all-big east and Pittsburgh defensive MVP honors. Prior to his junior season, Blades was moved to middle linebacker and named defensive team captain. He went on to lead the Big East in tackles with 121 on the year and was named first team all-big east for the second consecutive season.

H.B. Blades has a ton of experience, having started at both strong side linebacker and middle linebacker for the Pittsburgh Panthers over the past three seasons. During that time he has proven to be a very durable player who hasn’t missed a game due to injury since earning a starting job as a sophomore. He has a good combination of size, strength, and athleticism for a middle linebacker. He has good instincts and is an outstanding run defender. He is a big, physical linebacker who is strong enough to take on and shed blocks of larger offensive linemen. He has enough speed to make plays all over the field and he is a very good wrap-up tackler. H.B. is solid but not spectacular in coverage. He is an intelligent player and a good leader who is quick to read and react to what the opposing offense is doing. H.B. Blades is a versatile player who has started at both the strong side and the middle linebacker positions. He projects as a middle linebacker at the next level and should be selected on the first day of the 2007 NFL draft.