Myjai Sanders 2022 NFL Draft Profile

The 2022 NFL Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. Here is the Myjai Sanders 2022 NFL Draft Profile.

Myjai Sanders Background

Position: Edge Rusher

Size: 6-foot-5, 258 pounds

Class: Senior

2021 stats: 41 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 5 passes defended, 1 fumble recovery

Sanders developed well at Cincinnati and helped them move their program forward. Now, he is leaving to take his game to the NFL.

A three-star prospect out of Florida, Sanders didn’t have interest from big programs, so he chose Cincinnati. As a freshman, he played sparingly for the Bearcats, registering seven total tackles. His role increased as a sophomore with him registering 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. The Bearcats won 11 games including the Birmingham Bowl that season with help from Sanders. He showed a lot of improvement in 2020, finishing the season with 10.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Sanders helped lead Cincinnati to an undefeated regular season and an appearance in the Peach Bowl that season. During his senior season, Sanders tallied 7.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Although he was played out of position, he was a big part of a Cincinnati defense that helped the team make the College Football Playoff.

Following the program and his own personal growth, Sanders is now getting ready for a life in the NFL. He is currently projected to be a day two pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Myjai Sanders Strengths

Sanders is an athletic pass rusher. He has very quick feet and can get up to speed quickly, which can send offensive tackles scrambling. His flexibility could be better, but he can use his speed to win around the edge. Offensive tackles can struggle to keep up with him while both run and pass blocking because of his quickness and agility.

He has good hands, even for a player that doesn’t have the best build. Sanders gets his hands on offensive linemen early and knows how to place his hands. He has shown the ability to win by using his hands and even showed the ability to long-arm offensive tackles. With added strength, his hands will get even better.

At the snap of the ball, Sanders can get a really good jump. He usually times the snap up well, which gives him a huge advantage because of the quickness and speed that he provides after his initial jump. His jump makes offensive tackles move quickly to cover the edge, which he can still win, or he can do an inside move to get to the quarterback.

Myjai Sanders Weaknesses

He has shown he can use his length well, but Sanders doesn’t have an ideal frame. After being listed at 6-foot-5 and 258 pounds, it is expected that he will weigh less. He needs to add strength to his frame and keep it on to handle the physicality of NFL offensive linemen. He struggles against bigger offensive linemen and has trouble converting speed to power. More strength will help him shed blocks and have better contact balance.

In 2021, Sanders was played out of position at 3-4 defensive end, which really hurt his production. He needs to be a 4-3 defensive end or maybe even a 3-4 outside linebacker at the next level. Fortunately, he was able to show his ability to produce earlier in his time at Cincinnati, but should not be trusted to rush inside with consistency.

Sanders has shown to be able to jump the snap quickly, but he can get too over-aggressive. Sometimes he will jump way too early and can be drawn offsides with some frequency. He needs to trust his first-step quickness and watch for when the ball is snapped.

Projected Draft Range: Second Round Pick-Third Round Pick

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