Bills traded up with the Bears to select South Carolina DT T.J. Sanders with the No. 41 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Sanders (6’4/297) spent five years at South Carolina as a member of a menacing Gamecocks defensive front that generated an 8.9% sack rate and 43.6% pressure rate, both top-five marks nationally in 2024. His 33 pressures ranked 10th in FBS last year to go with 54 stops over the last two campaigns and an 83rd% defensive grade. He wins at a 12.9% rate with a combination of push/pull and side step maneuvers that draw from an impressive athletic profile. He ran a 4.95s 40-yard dash (88th%) with a 31.5” vert (85th%) and 9’04” broad jump for an exceptional 9.38 Relative Athletic Score. He uses a series of educated hand swipes and quickness to confound blockers and gain the advantage at the point of attack. Uses length to post and dislodge on run plays, nimble scraping down the line in pursuit. He will sometimes lose gap integrity trying to make a play, but Sanders’ competitiveness and pro-ready body make him an intriguing prospect.
