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, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Virginia safety Jonas Sanker.
#20 Jonas Sanker/S Virginia – 6003, 206 pounds (Senior)
Shrine Bowl/Combine
Measurements
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Jonas Sanker | 6003/206 | 9 3/4 | 32 1/4 | 77 5/8 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.48 | 1.51 | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 10’8″ | 36.5 | 12 |
The Good
– Quick break coming back to the ball
– Does a good job attacking downhill from a deep zone
– Decent athletic ability
– Decent play strength
– Secure tackler but bad technique can show up and cause misses
– Versatility is shown as he lines up at free safety, strong safety, and nickel
– Used effectively as a blitzer
– Plays with good awareness in zone coverage
– Never comes out of the game
The Bad
– Undersized for a strong safety
– Needs better footwork in man coverage
– Feet are erratic in fitting the run and in coverage
– Needs to recognize offensive plays quicker
– Needs to be more aggressive in fitting the run
– No physicality in coverage
– Fails to get hands on receivers down the field
– Speedy receivers will beat him deep
– Can play soft in the box
– Needs to shed blocks quicker
– Appears to give low effort at times
– Average ball skills
– Way to aggressive in play action, can be abused in the RPO game
Bio
– Started 33 games across 4 years at Virginia
– 2024: 98 tackles, 8.5 TFL, 2 sacks, 4 PBU’s, 1 interception and 1 fumble recovery for a touchdown
– Named First Team All-ACC
– Phil Steele Honorable Mention All-America
– Named one of Virginia’s 5 team captains
– 2023: 107 tackles, 4 TFL, 3 forced fumbles, and 11 PBU’s
– Named First Team All-ACC
– 2022: 63 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 forced fumble, 2 PBU’s, and 1 interception
– Averaged 6.3 tackles a game
– Consensus three-star recruit out of The Covenant School in Virginia. His team competed in 8-man football, not the traditional high school way
– Played running back, quarterback, and safety
– Threw for 1,590 yards and 33 touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,116 yards and 24 touchdowns as a junior
– Led his team to back-to-back 8-man state title games as a sophomore and junior
– Also played basketball, where he led his team to their first semifinal appearance in VISAA Division III tournament
– Originally committed to Boston College but flipped to Virginia
– He flipped to Virginia to be closer to family, something that is deeply important to him
Tape Breakdown
Jonas Sanker has seen a lot of snaps in his time at Virginia, and he shows up on film on nearly every down, never coming out of the game. The thing I enjoy most about his game is his ability to play a deep zone. He has a good break coming back to the ball, and he has the speed to seek out ball carriers from deep in the defensive backfield. The best use of Sanker is to have him as a deep middle third or a deep half and let him see the play develop and attack from there. On this play, he identifies a mesh concept and make a good tackle for no gain.
While Sanker is a decent athlete, he is nothing extraordinary. He has good speed when moving downhill, but his ability to flip his hips will not serve him well vs a speedy receiver. His hips can be a little stiff, and he will need to work on the technique of getting low by bending his knees and flipping his hips quickly. Also, he fails to get hands on receivers down the field, which will hurt him even more in man coverage. As a safety, the key to coverage is being physical and re-routing the receiver. Sanker never does this, and it leads to receivers beating him with just a simple move. Here, Sanker is not targeted, but his inability to get hands on and flip hips leaves this tight end open.
The thing that worries me most about Sanker is his erratic foot movement. It is imperative for him to work on that in order to be better in coverage and as a tackler. He can overrun ball carriers and misfit his gap because of his feet and does not have the ability to recover quickly because of how out of control his feet are. When guarding receivers, a simple sharp cut will leave him in the dust, as shown on this play.
This out-of-control foot movement shows up in the run and screen game as well, where he will fly to a gap without adjusting to where the ball carrier is going. When attacking a ball carrier, he flies up with no control of his body, which can lead to missed tackles. Although he is a secure tackler overall, his inability to stay in control of his body will lead to bad technique and missed tackles, which will only be highlighted against NFL players.
A big job of safeties in the NFL is their ability to play the run. While Sanker shows flashes of good ability and effort to make tackles, the majority of his assignments finish with him standing outside of a gang tackle, rather than jumping in and trying to make a play. He is not a thumper by any means, and in a crowded box he struggles to get off blocks, mainly from receivers. It seems like there are some plays where he is not playing with a sense of urgency and wants to chill and have the play come to him. He will need to get off blocks from receivers quicker and play with great aggressiveness in the run game to be an effective safety in the NFL.
Conclusion
Jonas Sanker can be a positive player as a deep safety because of the way he identifies routes underneath him and his speed getting to the ball carrier. However, he will have to work on his technique in man coverage, his erratic foot movement that affects him negatively in the run and pass game, and his non-aggressive mindset to be a consistent player on an NFL roster. My comp for him is Elijah Hicks.
Projection: Early Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 6.7 – Fifth Round (Backup/Special Teamer)
Games Watched: at Clemson (2024), vs North Carolina (2024), at Notre Dame (2024), at SMU (2024)
