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Sanders

With a deep class of edge rushers, it feels like Sanders (6'5/255) isn’t getting enough hype going into the draft. He’s been consistently one of the best at his position as he’s been the only edge rusher to have an 80+ pass rush PFF grade in each of the last three seasons. He’s a tough assignment for any offensive lineman as he comes with an explosive first step and plays through the whistle every time. This is easily why his 137 pressures were the most for anyone in the G5. Coming into the combine he dealt with an illness that led him to be nearly 20lbs lighter than his playing weight and resulted in not-so-stellar numbers. He should be available on Day 2 and would be a great value for any team looking to bolster the defensive line.

Throughout his career for the Bearcats, Sanders was a beast on edge. He’s one of players who goes full tilt on every play and fights through the whistle. He’s been a very difficult pass rusher to contain throughout his college career and it shows with Pro Football Focus making him the only edge rusher to have a 80+ pass rush in each of the last three seasons. While he didn’t test well at the combine, that was mainly due to him battling an illness and coming in almost 20 pounds lighter than his playing weight. Jim Nagy believes he could be a steal for someone on Day 2 and certainly is the case.

Sanders (6'5/255) is back to playing weight after getting up to 247 pounds following his performance at the combine when he was at 228. While that combine performance wasn’t the best, which has to do with illness, there are plenty of other things that reflect Sanders’ talent. One of those is the amount of QB hurries he’s had since 2019 -- which is 105 total and more than any other player at the position in that time span.

Sanders (6'5"/247) had a poor combine, but it was revealed he was battling illness and struggling to eat and keep food down. That was a major contributor to why he weighed in so low, but he seems to be recovered now. There were questions about his weight after the combine, but those are now put to bed, and if Sanders tests very well, his combine results can be pretty much thrown out the window due to his illness. Sanders did well at the Senior Bowl, and had a nice season for Cincinnati so the testing numbers are really the question mark for him.

Sanders (6'5/255) hasn’t gotten quite the same amount of attention as some of the other EDGE rushers in the 2022 NFL Draft, but has made the most of things like the Senior Bowl to showcase in the offseason what he brings to the table. According to Pro Football Focus, Sanders has the most postseason pressures for 2021 with a total of 15. Will Anderson Jr. of Alabama (14) and Travon Walker of Georgia (13) are right behind him in that category.

Sanders (6'5"/255) has struggled in his drills today, and this is a very plausible explanation. Apparently he has struggled to keep food down and he has been fatigued. It could be a bit of spin, but it will help mitigate whatever draft stock fall he may have faced from his poor performance. Good on him to still compete in all the drills despite how his illness would have affected him, and hopefully he will be healthy for his Pro Day.

Sanders (6'5/255) isn’t getting talked about like some of the EDGE players coming from the power five schools, but he has the potential to be as good as them. Several experts, including our CFB analyst Thor Nystrom, watched Sanders in person at the Senior Bowl and believe he came out a big winner. Jim Nagy notes that he had the fifth-fastest max acceleration (5.88) among all players at Senior Bowl behind only 3 DBs and 1 LB. The video shows him charging the backfield and reaching the running back sweeping out and tackling him about seven yards behind the line of scrimmage. With the combine coming up this week, it’s a great opportunity to boost his draft stock with a great showing.

Sanders (6'5/255) gave the mountainous Daniel Faalele all he could handle in 1-on-1’s and has been a terror on the edge all week long in Mobile. Nystrom writes “With a game built around burst, twitch and length, Sanders consistently threatens the edge with explosive initial steps. He’s shown the ability this week to get around the corner, snap off that edge, and get to huntin’. Sanders was a key cog in Cinci’s tenacious defense, generating 62 pressures and 54 hurries for the AAC champions while earning a stellar 87.3 pass rush grade on the year. He projects as a Day 2 prospect who could possibly slide into the first round if he shows out at the combine.

Sanders (6'5/258) could have left for the draft following the 2020 season, but opted to return for 2021, which proved a fruitful endeavor as he and the Bearcats would make a run to the college football playoffs before losing to Alabama in the Cotton Bowl. This season, Sanders totaled 43 tackles, 62 quarterback pressures and five sacks according to Pro Football Focus, and was one of the highest-graded pass rushers on the website at 87.3. Sanders has a chance to be a chance to be a first round pick, or a Day 2 pick in the draft at worst.

Sanders (6'5/258) is one of the most fearsome pass rushers in the AAC, recording 31 tackles, 5 PBU and 7.0 sacks this year for the vaunted Bearcats defense. The dominant junior earned a 84.2 overall defensive grade with an elite 89.9 pass rush grade from PFF. In 2019 he posted the second highest win rate among underclassmen defenders and is a legitimate pro prospect. His return bolsters a scary UC defense that returns several starters. Cincy should be a force once again in 2021.