SI All-American Candidate Ja'Tavion Sanders Highlights and Evaluation

Ja'Tavion Sanders is a defensive line and wide receiver prospect from Ryan High School in Denton, Texas. Sanders is an SI All-American candidate.

Prospect: Ja'Tavion Sanders 
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-4, 220 pounds
Position: Defensive End and Wide Receiver 
School: Denton (Texas) Ryan
Committed to: Texas 
Projected Position: Defensive End 

Frame: Athletic frame with impressive length throughout. Solid torso with noticeable hips. Has potential to become more defined and chiseled. 

Athleticism: Plays with good initial quickness and a solid first step. Good torso rotation. Displays ability to bend, yet more impressive flattening early in rush to take short path to passers. Has lateral athleticism in surf technique versus run. Very good range. Can chase from backside and reach ball-carriers on wide perimeter playside. 

Instincts: Uses length to keep clean. Fairly consistent hand placement accuracy to set edges versus base and reach blocks. Does a good job of getting near leg through at the point to clear hips. Capable of taking advantage of late hands/punch timing as a pass-rusher. Alert to flatten at corners to not be washed out around pocket. 

Polish: Lines up exclusively at RDE at 5/7-technique. Used as the looper in E-T stunts. Pass-rush toolbox mostly consists of speed, speed-to-power and an occasional cross chop. Flashes a quick swipe versus soft shoulders. Needs to play with lower pad level. Must continue improving POA strength and power with his mitts. Length and athletic ability compensate for average use of hands and pass-rush toolbox at this point. 

Bottom Line: Sanders is an interesting prospect who also could project as a tight end. Defensively, he’s best with his hand down on the edges thanks to his impressive length, solid first step and ability to flatten when turning the corner. He fits best as a DE in a defense with a 4-man front with 1-gap and gap-exchange principles.