STRENGTHS

Myjai Sanders is really quick off the mark and the explosiveness flashes off the tape with how well he reads snap counts and bursts past offensive tackles. His lateral quickness is also a key part of his game, often “surfing” down the LOS, and ensuring he stays gap sound in the run fit, whilst maintain superb body control and balance on almost every single rep. The hip bend/flexibility is some of the best that I’ve graded this year; the way he can get around O-lineman is seriously impressive without dropping his speed at all. His vast array of pass rush moves can be seen in every game watched, combatting OT vertical sets with inside spin moves, crosschop and plenty of rip moves from his low, hip-bent position (very similar to the “Ghost technique” employed by Von Miller).

Myjai Sanders has insane bend and has pressured QBs more than his sacks would indicate, forcing errant throws like this. Great hands and projects as a speedy 3-4 OLB but has versatility as a 4-3 DE. Great array of pass moves, & explosiveness jumps off film! pic.twitter.com/HF4nNFrfj2
— Luke Carr (TD4LC) (@LukeCarrNFL) January 21, 2022

WEAKNESSES

Sanders’ strength/power is nothing to write home about, occasionally when inside the tackle box, he got washed out quite easily, opening running lanes – something I’ll touch more on in the summary. His tackling is also a little inconsistent, at times wrapping up and making bit hits, and in other situations rushing his process, resulting in him flailing at the ball-carrier from a distance away. If used as an OLB at the next level, his ability in coverage has been unseen due to the scheme he played in, but did look smooth dropping out of the DL and into a spy/rat role at times.

SUMMARY

Myjai Sanders is a really exciting prospect, and one that has not been correctly utilised during his college career. With the speed and length that he possesses, it makes so much sense to line him up as a 3-4 OLB, often standing up and rushing from a 5/7-tech position, but Cincy often used him as a hand-in-the-dirt 3-4 DE which doesn’t suit his body nor play style. When Cincy switched to their 4 down front (as they are a hybrid scheme), Sanders lined up as a 4-3 DE and also had really good success from there – notably in the Notre Dame game. All in all I really like Sanders as a prospect: I think there’s a lot of untapped potential, and I think a team will get a great steal around the late 1st/early 2nd round.