PFF Ranks Longhorns Ja'Tavion Sanders As Top 10 Returning TE For 2023 Season

Ja'Tavion Sanders should be the top prospect returning for the 2023 season in the Big 12 at tight end.

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Every quarterback needs a security blanket, for a play goes haywire. With Bijan Robinson Atlanta bound, welcome to the No. 1 spot of Quinn Ewers' best friend, Texas Longhorns tight end, Ja'Tavion Sanders.

Sanders, a 6-5, 250-pound tight end, was a staple of the passing game in 2022 for Steve Sarkisian's offense. He created mismatches against linebackers and safeties across the middle of the field and was a consistent target in the red zone. Sanders also honed in on his ability as a run blocker, helping Robinson become the fourth Texas running back in program history to claim the Doak Walker Award.

Pro Football Focus isn't ready to name Sanders the top tight end for the upcoming 2023 season, but the website does consider him a top-three player at the position. Sanders was listed as the No. 3 returning prospect, trailing only Georgia's Brock Bowers and Minnesota's Brevyn Spann-Ford.

Starting quarterback Quinn Ewers will have no shortage of terrific options in the passing game in 2023. Sanders offers a unique position mismatch as one of the best tight ends in college football. He was a first-team All-Big 12 selection after catching 54 passes for 613 yards and five touchdowns. -PFF

Sanders averaged 11.4 yards per catch, fourth-most among qualified Longhorns behind Robinson (16.5), Jordan Whittington (13.0), and Xavier Worthy (12.7). He finished with five-plus catches in eight games, including a career-best seven receptions against then-No. 4 TCU.

Ewers' offensive arsenal will be far from bare in 2023. Worthy returned for his junior year despite rumors of his potential departure in the transfer portal. Whittington decided to come back for a fifth season after meeting with scouts about his possible draft destination. The Longhorns also added former Georgia star A.D. Mitchell via the portal and will see Isaiah Neyor make his long-awaited debut.

Neyor, a former All-Mountain West receiver at Wyoming, transferred to the Forty Acres in 2022 but suffered a torn ACL in fall camp that sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season.

Little separates Spann-Ford and Sanders from the No. 2 and No. 3 spot, respectively. Last season, Spann-Ford posted a team-high 42 receptions for the Golden Gophers and was exceptional in run blocking. He graded out with an impressive 82.5 run-blocking grade, while Sanders finished with a grade of 59.7.

Bowers, an early favorite to land top 10 in next year's NFL draft, likely won't be dethroned anytime soon. He's a well-rounded route-runner that excels after the catch in space. Last season, Bowers totaled career numbers in receptions (63) and yards (942) en route to winning the Mackey Award, given out to the nation's top tight end.

Bowers' 942 yards ranked first among all tight ends. Only Utah's Dalton Kincaid and Notre Dame's Michael Mayer finished with over 800 yards. 

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