Scouting Report: Drew Sanders
Background
Sanders was a Texas high school star, playing down in Denton, Texas (northside of Dallas-Forth Worth). He was ranked as a five-star recruit, the 13th overall player in the class of 2020. He committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide, signing up to play for Nick Saban rather than stay in-state and play for Texas or A&M.
He rotated in a bit at linebacker for the Crimson Tide as a freshman, but was largely a feature on special teams due to his freakish athleticism and size, and was voted as the Special Teams Player of the Week against Arkansas and Tennessee.
In 2021, as a sophomore, Sanders was slated to start, but suffered a hand injury that limited his playing time, with only 3 starts in total, though he did tallying 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and 2 pass break-ups in limited action. He played SAM linebacker for Saban, what is traditionally viewed as a 3-4 OLB/EDGE role in that defense. After the season, he transferred, and signed up to play for Arkansas out of the portal, under a high caliber defensive coordinator in Barry Odom.
It was a very wise decision for Sanders, as he was a breakout star as the Razorbacks’ MIKE linebacker, commanding the interior of the defense. He was a first-team AP All-American in his sole season at Arkansas, a finalist for the Dick Butkus Award as the nation’s linebacker, tallying 103 tackles with 9.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, five pass break-ups, and an interception as well.
Additionally, in the offseason process, Sanders has visited Detroit as one of their top-30 visits. He also mentions to the Free Press there that he met with the Lions at the Combine as well, and “loves the coaches there so far.”
What Sanders Does Well?
Has an elite build and athleticism that is borderline unmatched throughout the league. Pretty much on par with Trumaine Edmunds there, as Sanders measures in somewhere in-between 6-4/6-5, and weighing 235 pounds (though he played EDGE at Alabama at 245 pounds). He had very good chase down speed and range, allowing him to get sideline-to-sideline in pursuit.
His experience and build also allows him to make an impact as a genuine EDGE rusher on third-down packages. He shows excellent hand fighting and agility as a rusher, able to find the soft spot and beat tackles and backs with a nice combo of size, speed, and hands. Has a nice hand swipe, a decent club, and a very good swim move that you can see in the clip above.
His natural instincts are very good, especially considering his lack of experience as an off-ball backer. Has a unique feel for navigating traffic in the box and especially to fight to the edge.
Always was proficient in coverage thanks to his instincts and speed. Should be a very useful player covering tight ends as well thanks to his size. In the clip above (instincts section), you can even just see how fluid he is reading the QB and closing space to effectively cover an RB out of the backfield. He breaks this one up, but is in position to close and make the tackle nonetheless.
Powerful hands help him knockback linemen and keep himself clean in the box. He also uses his length really well to keep blockers off his chest. Wouldn’t describe him as terribly physical, but he certainly can smash around in the box sufficiently enough.
Plays with really good control and contact balance. Able to stop on a dime and redirect due to his control and balance, he also can maintain his course while fighting through contact and isn’t easily disrupted in his movement.
He also plays with a very high motor. As I’ll mention below, he does have room to grow with his pass rush arsenal and sequencing, but he doesn’t quit on plays ever. Legit, first two moves don’t work, but his hustle still gets him a significant pressure.
Some quotes on his intangibles from Dane Brugler’s The Beast:
“…flies around with nonstop energy and doesn’t know how to go half-speed.
“…lives in the weight room and his disciplined approach to training and nutrition have been a part of his life since childhood.
“…the son of a coach, he is highly determined and has been mentally preparing for this opportunity for a long time.
“…was a core special-teamer in his two seasons at Alabama.
“…experienced at multiple positions in the front seven and can play both off the ball or as an edge rusher.”
I think all of these highlight his likely intangible fit for Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell. He’s a football guy who plays with intensity, effort, and has the attitude and work ethic to succeed.
Where Sanders Could Improve?
Much of Sanders’ improvement list boils down to his limited experience as an off-ball linebacker. He played just one season as a full-time starter at MIKE LB, and thus some of the key reads will need to become sharper. Like I said above, his instincts are sharp, but he’s not overly refined in them, so he’ll still get baited with misdirection and such, which aims to exploit your instincts.
Needs to clean up his tackling form, as he needs to finish his tacklers with more power and force. Think right now he plays a little tall, and that can be a part of the inconsistent power he shows as a tackler. Clip above you can see him slice through to land a TFL, but then miss the tackle.
As a pass rusher, he needs to refine and develop his pass rush attack. He has some quality moves, but doesn’t possess a sufficient enough arsenal yet to really manage 20 snaps a game off the edge for example. Building up his versatility to the point is going to be helpful.
I Thought Holmes Didn’t Like LB Very Much?
For the most part, that is correct, but Sanders does fall into the category of player that looks like Holmes might be tempted with earlier than a standard off-ball guy. This is from my old Reddit post extrapolating on what kind of player the Lions might take earlier than Day 3:
But, we do need to be careful in simply assuming that the Lions interest in Parsons de facto implies that they value ILB heavily. As I mentioned in the "why teams de-value LB" section, the only guys who really can be full-time players these days, are guys who can provide value on 3rd down as well, and Parsons is an electric pass rusher who tallied 13.0 sacks and 20.0 tackles for loss in his rookie season, clearly giving exceptional value there.
I then go on to mention that the Rams example we have was a first-round pick on Georgia LB Alec Ogletree, a converted safety who fulfilled an Isaiah Simmons-like role. That again reinforces the idea of versatility and elite third-down usage, as Ogletree’s coverage ability was fantastic coming out of college, and Parsons had experience as an EDGE rusher, just like Sanders does. And similarly, former Wisconsin ILB/OLB Zack Baun was a third-round pick by the Saints when Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn were both there, and Baun was a similarly versatile option. So if the Lions are going to invest a premium (Day 1 or 2) pick on a linebacker, the best bet is for a guy who can play multiple roles like Sanders can.
Fit with the Detroit Lions
Let’s talk scheme here. Right now the Lions employ two starting inside linebacker, and largely exchange responsibilities away from heavily defined roles. Much like the safety position, where there is a designated FS and SS, they still operate far more interchangeably. So in that extent, Drew Sanders would likely come in and take over a starting inside linebacker position quickly, though whether he replaces Malcolm Rodriguez, or simply opens up additional roles and abilities (SAM OLB full-time for example?), he can play in a ton of different ways.
Additionally, Sanders is very good as a blitzer up the middle. Given that Detroit was seventh last season in blitz percentage, Sanders would contribute in that facet at a higher right than most of Detroit’s current crop of ILBs. Plus, don’t forget his special teams value and usage early on.
Ultimately, I do like him best as a potential star MIKE linebacker for the Lions. They’re contractually locked into Alex Anzalone there for at least a year, but again, some of the versatility of Sanders allows him to handle some resposibilities in the WILL role, and then also factor in as a SAM pass rusher or coverage specialist against TE’s as well. In short, schematically, he both fits what they currently runs but also offers expanded usage and new roles that the Lions currently lack. Very good fit altoghter.
Final Thoughts
Personally, I came away a lot more impressed on Drew Sanders than I anticipated being. I am not sure what the exact fit in Detroit is, as mentioned, but I do think Sanders is probably the sole linebacker I’d give a first-round grade to, and that also has to do with high ability to factor in on third-downs. His range is excellent, and I think he showed a very high capacity at pursuit within and around the box.
The things that he’ll need to clean up are quite simple: His tackling needs to improve, and then he’ll need to sharpen his reads, though it’s probably fair to suggest both of those are a result of inexperience at the position (tackling is surprisingly different coming downhill as a LB vs. run stops off the EDGE). However, Sanders’ is a very hard worker with a solid family pedigree, meaning there’s a lot to suggest he’ll be able to make those adjustments.
His upside is through the roof, as he has all the traits, instincts, and athleticism to be a genuine superstar linebacker for the Lions. He’d have an excellent fit in year one as a rookie, likely rotating in at various points alongside Anzalone and Rodriguez, but being a mainstay on third-downs, due to his versatility in both coverage and as a pass rusher. Then as he works in as an early-down off-ball linebacker, he’d be more or less groomed to replace Anzalone in either 2024 or 2025, and again, has the upside to be one of the league’s best, rather than just a non-liability.
Overall, it is hard to really suggest that this guy will be the one who breaks the trend of de-emphasis on the LB position, but I do think there’s enough to suggest that he’s more plausible than some others in this class or in previous ones. Drew Sanders brings elite intangibles, athleticism, and versatility, and I think Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes could actually pull the trigger here, though where is the question? I have zero concern pulling the trigger with the eighteenth pick, but would Holmes? I think if the Lions traded back to the mid-20s, this one becomes a lot more plausible. Drew Sanders is a darn good football player.