New York Giants Draft Prospect: LB Drew Sanders

Brandon Olsen takes a look at Arkansas inside linebacker Drew Sanders.

Author:
Brandon Olsen
Publish date:
Feb 26, 2023 11:06 AM EST

In this story:

New York Giants

Arkansas Razorbacks

Drew Sanders, LB

Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 233 lbs.
Class: Junior
School: Arkansas

Drew Sanders was the top-ranked athlete in the country out of Ryan High School in Denton, Texas, from the 2020 recruiting class. Sanders committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide over LSU, Oklahoma, Arizona State, and Arkansas as a player who could have played tight end or edge in college.

Notables

Sanders was a reserve during his true freshman COVID season in 2020 before becoming a top rotational player on the defensive line for Alabama in 2021. Following the 2021 season, Sanders wanted to go to a place that would give him the best opportunity to show he can make it to the NFL, so he transitioned to inside linebacker and transferred to an Arkansas defense looking to blitz more aggressively.

Strengths

Positional versatility as an EDGE that converted to inside linebacker
Has strong eyes when it comes to finding rushing lanes
Tremendous production as an off-ball linebacker, led Arkansas with 39 pressures and 11 sacks in 2022
Has a great first step that allows him to fly down into the trenches
Does a good job of “getting skinny” between offensive linemen
Keeps his eyes in the backfield in zone coverage
Never hesitates to trigger down and attack
Scheme-versatile

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Weaknesses

Inconsistent tackling form, too often is looking for the hit stick
Play-fakes can take him for a ride
Struggles to consistently shed blocks
Inconsistent hand usage
Doesn’t have a full pass-rush plan yet
Struggles to find balance between watching the QB and knowing how to defend his zone

Summary

Sanders may be one of the best success stories from the transfer portal era when it’s all said and done following his one year with Arkansas. Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale blitzed off-ball linebackers frequently, with Jaylon Smith, Tae Crowder, and Micah McFadden rushing the passer on 12.6%, 19.1%, and 20.7%, respectively.

Few players are a better immediate fit for this defense than edge-turned-linebacker Sanders, who has positional versatility and joined a blitz-heavy defense that used him as a pass-rusher on 29.4% of his pass-defense snaps.

GRADE: 6.5B