Broncos Land Draft Steal in Round 3 in Arkansas LB Drew Sanders
With their second pick in the third round of the NFL draft, the Denver Broncos selected Arkansas linebacker Drew Sanders at No. 68 overall. Just five selections before Sanders, the Broncos traded up to draft Oklahoma wideout Marvin Mims at No. 63.
Sanders, 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, is coming off a very productive campaign in his one and only season at Arkansas after transferring from Alabama. He totaled 103 tackles, 13.5 tackles for a loss, 9.5 sacks, and an interception for the Razorbacks last year.
Sanders' pass-rushing chops are legit, as the former five-star recruit originally went to Alabama to get after the quarterback. Tip your cap to NFL.com's Chad Reuter, who recently mocked Sanders to the Broncos at No. 68 overall. It's rare to see a mock draft artist hit so precisely that deep into the draft.
Mile High Huddle draft analyst Nick Kendell recently wrote this about Sanders:
Sanders' explosiveness coming downhill as a rusher while still possessing solid athleticism in pursuit makes him a fun downhill player. In today’s NFL, with teams using more simulated pressures than ever before, his ability to line up over different gaps to show blitz pre-snap with the ability to rush or drop back gives a defense the ability to create confusion and matchup issues for opposing blocking schemes.
Sanders is still relatively new to the off-ball spot after transitioning to more of an edge rusher position, so he will likely be a somewhat volatile player in the mental aspects of the game early in his career. He would not solve Broncos Country’s desire for a speed linebacker who can cover like a defensive back to help slow down tight ends like Travis Kelce.
That said, if the Broncos continue to live in pressure packages and simulated pressures under new defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, as they did under Ejiro Evero, then a height/weight/speed/length linebacker who can be a weapon in pressure looks would be a fantastic get for the defense in Round 3.
Sanders was expected to go in the second round, and some even predicted he might hear his name called in the first. MHH's Lance Sanderson is one of those draftniks who expected Sanders to go much earlier than he did. However, Sanderson isn't sure about Sanders' fit in Denver.
Sanders likely won't be available for the Broncos. There is a lot of speculation about him being a possible first-round pick. Attacking Sanders with power in the running game and twitchy receivers in the passing game is the ideal way to neutralize his skill set. Sanders lacks mass and power, so he gets moved off the spot frequently. He also has some stiffness in his hips and lacks the desired change of direction ability in coverage.
The Broncos may have landed a huge draft steal in Sanders. Depending on exactly what role the Broncos have in mind for him, he joins a linebacker corps that has a good mix of veteran experience and youthful upside.
Day 3 of the NFL draft kicks off on Saturday at 10 am MDT.
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