2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: South Carolina DL T.J. Sanders

From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, 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 to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on South Carolina DL T.J. Sanders.

NO. 90 T.J. SANDERS, DL, SOUTH CAROLINA (R-JUNIOR) — 6040, 290 POUNDS

SENIOR BOWL INVITE 

MEASUREMENTS

THE GOOD

— Has the height and size you look for at the position
— Good athlete for his size, possessing quickness and burst
— Played all over the defensive front
— Has the strength to drive back blockers with his bull rush
— Loose athlete who can change directions quickly and jump laterally from gap to gap
— Twitched-up defensive lineman who strings together moves well to get into the backfield
— Has active hands to rip, swim, swipe, or club blockers
— Possesses the speed and effort to pursue the ball carrier toward the sidelines
— Has a motor that runs hot as a pass rusher
— Does a good job to fight into his gap and hold it against the run

THE BAD

— Needs to be more consistent getting hands on the blocker to control the rep
— Can get upright when his rush stalls, exposing his chest to blockers
— Needs to do a better job playing with consistent leverage
— Power as a rusher can be inconsistent
— Plenty of plays on tape where he runs into blocks
— Can get overwhelmed by double teams

BIO

— Redshirt junior from Marion, S.C.
— Born July 30, 2003 (age 21)
— Criminology and criminal justice major
— Won a state title as a senior in high school; also played basketball
— Played in two games as a true freshman in 2021 before redshirting
— Played in 12 games in 2022 and had 16 tackles, one tackle for loss, a sack, and a pass breakup
— Started seven-of-12 games played in 2023 and had 43 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and four pass breakups
— Started nine-of-13 games in 2024 and had 50 tackles, seven tackles for loss, four sacks, and one pass breakup
— Second-team All-SEC (2024), third-team All-SEC (2023)

TAPE BREAKDOWN

T.J. Sanders stayed in-state after winning a state title with Marion High School, opting to go to Columbia and play for the South Carolina Gamecocks. After a redshirt year as a freshman, Sanders worked his way into the starting lineup and became an impactful player for the Gamecocks. He totaled 93 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, and 8.5 sacks in his last two seasons.

When you pop in the tape on Sanders, you see an athletic defender who plays all over the line of scrimmage, lining up from the nose tackle over the center to outside the offensive tackle on the edge. With a motor that runs hot and quickness, Sanders flashes for a defensive lineman and is able to work around blocks with ease.

Check out this rep against Ole Miss as Sanders works from outside shade of the left guard to across the right shoulder of the center right after the snap. Covering ground laterally, he clears the block with an effective swim move to put pressure on the passer. The second play shows Sanders executing the rip/arm over combo to cross the face of the blocker and hit the quarterback as he lets go of the ball.

Sanders is a loose, nimble player even at nearly 300 pounds, able to open up and run in the open field. Watch him run down the ball carrier in this clip below against LSU, making the play near the sideline after starting the snap lined up in the A-gap.

Sanders uses his hands well as a pass rusher, having a variety of different moves at his disposal. Watch the play below as Sanders executes a two-hand swipe move against Missouri. He easily clears the block and get into the backfield, closing down on the quarterback in a hurry for the sack.

Sanders has the play strength to hold his own at the line of scrimmage against the run as well as execute a bull rush as a pass rusher. We see instances of both below as Sanders walks back the LSU center right into the lap of the quarterback in the first clip. In the second clip, we see Sanders fighting to hold his spot in the A-gap against the Ole Miss Rebels, working between the center and right guard to corral the running back for no gain on the play.

Sanders can struggle with playing too upright at times after he gets off the ball and engages with the blocker on his pass rush. This can lead to him exposing his chest and opposing blockers neutralizing him for the entire rep.

Watch the play below against LSU as Sanders crashes into the center. He gets upright and brings his feet narrow, stalling his rush and getting off-balance. The center displaces him into the turf as the quarterback scrambles from the pocket after Sanders was in position to make a play.

CONCLUSION

T.J. Sanders is a young, athletic defensive lineman who has experience lining all over the defensive front, something you like to see in a prospect transitioning from college to the pros. He also has the twitch and juice you like to see from an interior pass rusher and can be disruptive both chasing the quarterback as well as making plays against the run. He needs to play with more consistent strength at the point of attack and be more consistent with his leverage, but Sanders has the tools and traits to become a starter/quality rotational player at the next level.

When thinking of a pro comp for Sanders, Osa Odighizuwa comes to mind as another twitched-up defensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys. He was selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft and has a similar skill set to Sanders as well as favorable career projection.

The Steelers could use more help up front stopping the run as well as in the pass-rush department. Sanders would be a safe, quality option to consider on Day 2 if they don’t take a defensive lineman with their first-round pick to bolster a unit that needs to put forth better production in 2025.

Projection: Day 2
Depot Draft Grade: 7.8 – Potential Starter/Good Backup (3rd Round)
Games Watched: vs LSU (2024), at Ole Miss (2024), vs Missouri (2024)