Drew Sanders OLB Arkansas: Scouting Report

Height: 6’4

Weight: 233

Overall

Drew Sanders is a big-bodied outside linebacker in Arkansas’ 4-3 defense. He began his career at Alabama where he played in 25 games with 3 starts over 2 seasons. He then transferred to Arkansas where he played and started 12 games this past season. He is a very good athlete and had a lot of production as a pass rusher in his final year of college.

Run Game

In the run game, Sanders is very inconsistent. He struggles getting off of blocks when playing off the ball allowing for big holes for the ball-carrier. He has poor vision in finding the ball-carrier causing him to overrun the play and get out of position far too often. He has very good size at the linebacker position and made some big hits on film but his tackling is also inconsistent. He needs to be better at wrapping up and finishing his tackles as well as taking an extra step to the ball-carrier instead of diving at their legs. Even with his struggles against the run, he has the size, frame, and athleticism to develop into a strong off-ball linebacker.

Pass Game

While Sanders has his struggles against the run, he shows flashes of dominance against the pass. At Arkansas, he was often used on blitzes up the middle or as a designated pass rusher off the edge. He has excellent speed to get to the quarterback and he is much better at getting off blocks when he is getting up the field rather than moving horizontally when off the ball. He has very good pass rushing moves and looks explosive when rushing off the edge with the strength to collapse the pocket on bullrushes. In coverage he shows the speed and quickness to keep up with running backs out of the backfield and with more development he can be a very strong coverage linebacker at the next level.

Last Word

Sanders projects best as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme where he can line up consistently on the edge to rush the passer as well as drop back into coverage. He can also have a lot of success as a designed pass rusher on 3rd downs or in blitz packages. He is a very raw player in terms of his technique as an off-ball linebacker but he has the intangibles to grow into a strong starter with more development in the pros.

One-Liner: Drew Sanders is a inconsistent linebacker but shows flashes of dominance as a pass rusher and with his blend of size and athleticism he has the potential to grow into a very good defensive playmaker

Grade: 6.6 (Lower End Starter on All 3 Downs)

Games Watched: 2022 - Alabama, Texas A&M, Cincinnati 

Team Fits: Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals