Broncos draft Drew Sanders in second round of NFL Draft
The Denver Broncos needed help on both sides of the ball, so that's what they did with their first two picks in the 2023 NFL Draft.With their first pick, they went and got a receiver in Marvin Mims Jr. from Oklahoma. He is a guy that will help Russell Wilson turn the offense around. Then […]
The Denver Broncos needed help on both sides of the ball, so that's what they did with their first two picks in the 2023 NFL Draft.
With their first pick, they went and got a receiver in Marvin Mims Jr. from Oklahoma. He is a guy that will help Russell Wilson turn the offense around. Then they went and focused on one of their biggest needs on defense, and was able to get one of the best players at his position in the entire draft.
The Broncos selected Arkansas linebacker Drew Sanders at pick 67 in the third round, who was a finalist for the Butkis award.
Sanders played off the ball as a linebacker and finished with 11 sacks and 39 pressures last season. He is a blitz heavy linebacker, and a guy who is always around the ball. He can be an elite tackler in the league because of his sideline to sideline speed, and he showed that with 63 solo tackles in 2022. However, he did have a problem with missed tackles as he missed 22.
The Broncos current starting linebacker situation is Alex Singleton and Josey Jewell. I think Sanders will eventually be a guy who starts over Jewell. He will thrive in Vance Joseph's defense.
A to Z Sports' Tyler Browning evaluated Sanders and wrote the following:
Has shown he can be responsible in half the field scenarios. Would not thrive if he is left to roam sideline to sideline. The field needs to be split into halves for him to thrive. Has shown the ability to navigate the box an effective level. Has shown he can quickly and effectively identify where the ball is going. Has shown he can handle RBs out of the backfield and he is in zone. Fights for the ball at the catch point, and can deliver jarring hits to force the ball free. Can get exposed if he is left man on man against RBs.
Below is The Athletic's Dane Brugler's scouting report, as well. Brugler has Sanders as the best linebacker in the entire draft.
A one-year starter at Arkansas, Sanders played MIKE linebacker in former defensive coordinator Barry Odom’s 4-2-5 base scheme, also seeing snaps as an edge rusher. A five-star “athlete” out of high school, he spent two seasons at Alabama before betting on himself and flourishing as a transfer at Arkansas in 2022, becoming just the eighth unanimous All-American in school history (the first linebacker). A long, lean athlete, Sanders is cunning and agile with the instincts of both an off-ball player and pass rusher. He posted impressive numbers as a first-year starter, but there were too many “almost” tackles on tape, and he left production on the field with his tendency to overpursue (had 3-plus missed tackles in five games in 2022). Overall, Sanders must become a more skilled tackle finisher and take-on player, but he offers intriguing versatility as a “do-everything” front-seven defender thanks to his size and athletic range. He is an ascending player with the talent to be a matchup linebacker and occasional pass rusher in the NFL.
