From now until the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Texas TE Ja’Tavion Sanders.
#0 Ja’Tavion Sanders/TE Texas – 6037, 245 pounds (Junior)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Ja’Tavion Sanders | 6037/245 | 10 1/8″ | 32 7/8″ | 78 1/4″ |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.69 | 1.59 | 4.32 | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
The Good
– Great building blocks for a franchise tight end when you consider great age, average size, and great speed testing
– Trying blocker who looks to get better in that aspect
– Shows great ability after the catch to gain additional yardage
– Flashes good catch-in-traffic ability when there’s limited separation
– Has a catch radius to haul in balls outside of his frame and bail out the quarterback from a bad throw
– Two solid years of production to back up the talent on film
– Has shown to thrive in different alignments
The Bad
– Speed tested better at the combine than what he showed on tape, where he wasn’t running away from defenders often
– Schemed open a lot due to misdirection plays and being able to slip by defenders
– Struggles as a true route runner to separate when the misdirection does not fool the defender
– As it stands is raw as a blocker who lacks the desired strength due to his 33rd-percentile weight
– Only two seasons of playing in college and seeing regular offensive snaps
Bio
– 20 years old (March 27th, 2003)
– Started 27 out of 39 games for Texas
– 99 catches, 1,295 receiving yards, seven receiving touchdowns, and 13.1 yards per catch in his college career
– 45 catches, 682 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns, and 15.2 yards in 2023
– 2023 ankle injury against Kansas
– Five-star ATH in his 2021 high school class from Denton, TX
– Was a very productive defensive end in high school, where he racked up 39 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, two forced fumbles, and three passes broken up
– Played both offense and defense when he initially arrived at Texas before they ultimately decided to move him to tight end
– Played basketball in high school
– Ranks first all-time among Texas tight ends in career receptions (99), second in receiving yards (1,295) and sixth in receiving touchdowns (seven)
Tape Breakdown
I am one of the few people who seems to be critical of how Ja’Tavion Sanders manages to get open. In this clip, Sanders is the last guy toward the bottom of the line of scrimmage, and his way of creating separation is running into the Alabama defenders when they get mixed up on the pass-off, which leaves Sanders wide open. On the other hand, this shows Sanders’ ability to create yards after the catch. While he doesn’t seem as fast as his testing numbers were, he still is able to use a stiff arm and side-step to make multiple defenders miss
— Steven (@Elspedd2) March 20, 2024
Here, Sanders is lined up as the closest man to the bottom of the screen on the line of scrimmage, where he has an inverted wheel route. While it is unclear if he is on a check and release assignment, which would mean blocking before releasing into his route, there is no doubt he gets lost by the linebackers. This is from the play action, running back leaking into the flat wide open, pulling tight end from the other side, and other factors that act as eye candy for the defense. It is what allows Sanders to get extremely wide open. After the catch, you’d expect to see him make defenders miss like he did in the clip prior. However, he allows Kool-Aid McKinstry, who is about 60 pounds lighter, to get a shoelace tackle on him. A play like this really doesn’t help Sanders’ stock, in my opinion. It reinforces the idea that Texas did a great job of scheming him open and shows a bit of inconsistency after the catch.
— Steven (@Elspedd2) March 21, 2024
This play shows both his inability to create consistent separation against man coverage but also his reliable hands. Sanders is lined up on the trips side as the man on the line of scrimmage. He’s working against a pressing defensive back and, even at the top of the route, struggles to gain space from the defender. The ball is put in a pretty solid spot over the defender’s head but forces Sanders to catch it behind himself. It’s a pretty difficult catch, but those are the types of plays Sanders can bring to an NFL team.
— Steven (@Elspedd2) March 20, 2024
In this clip is 50 percent of Sanders’ touchdowns from the 2023 season. Lined up as the last guy at the top of the line of scrimmage, his job is to sell the blocking assignment before releasing on his wheel route. Texas comes out with a handoff, reverse, flea flicker play that is meant to free up Sanders, which is exactly what happens. The defender closest to Sanders just watches the backfield as an easy 24-yard touchdown is scored on them.
— Steven (@Elspedd2) March 21, 2024
Sanders has gotten the majority of his criticism from his blocking, which is fair to an extent, but it is not as bad as they make it seem. The main thing I look for in a tight end or receiver when it comes to blocking is effort rather than pure skill. Paraphrasing what USC runningback Marshawn Lloyd said at the Senior Bowl, skill positions can only be so good at blocking, but what you can control is the effort and urge to get better in that aspect. From the plays I’ve seen from Sanders as a blocker, he struggles with technique and power but definitely not effort. I think the notion that he is a bad blocker will always follow him around even if he improves in that area but it is important to mention he hasn’t shown to shy away from the task of blocking defenders to this point.
— Steven (@Elspedd2) March 21, 2024
Conclusion
Ja’Tavion Sanders is seemingly the second-best tight end in this weak 2024 class, right behind the generational talent of Brock Bowers. Sanders was projected to have this level of success since high school when he was a 5-star prospect who played both sides of the ball at a very high level. Once he got to Texas, they used him primarily on special teams with the field goal unit.
While he didn’t get much playing time in games, he spent practice playing both sides of the ball when they finally decided to put him at tight end. He went on to thrive in that role the next two seasons, and in 27 starts, he became first all-time among Texas tight ends in career receptions (99), second in receiving yards (1,295), and sixth in receiving touchdowns (seven).
His projection in the NFL looks to be a Jonnu Smith kind of player who excels as a receiving threat but will give a decent effort in the run game. Sanders is extremely young and still getting fully adjusted to playing tight end so there is plenty of room for growth in his game. Sanders has a ceiling as a solid starter for years but I do question if he can see success past that. I need to see more in separation aspects to be sold on his future success.
Projection: Day Two
Depot Draft Grade: 8.0 – Potential Starter/Good Backup (Third Round)
Games Watched: Alabama (2023), TCU (2023), Oklahoma State (2023)
