Scouting Report: Ja'Tavion Sanders (TE) - Texas
Sales Pitch: “Athletic move TE who excels with the ball in his hands in open space. Lacks the size and blocking ability to be a true inline TE but should be a versatile weapon that thrives in horizontal offenses.”
Athletic Profile
Height: 6’ 3 7/8”
Weight: 245 lbs
Arm Length: 32 7/8”
Hand Size: 10 1/8”
40 Yard Dash: 4.69
10 Yard Split: 1.60
Vertical: 30”
Broad Jump: 9’ 6”
Short Shuttle: 4.32
3-Cone: N/A
Age: 21
Relative Athletic Score: 5.72 / 10.00
Statistics
Career: 99 REC - 1,295 YDS - 13.1 YPR - 7 TD
2023: 45 REC - 682 YDS - 15.2 YPR - 2 TD
Strengths
Good straight-line athlete
Strong feel for spacing and leverage as a blocker
Fantastic effort and toughness as a blocker even when overmatched
Flexible core capable of absorbing and rebounding from contact
Large catch radius with natural sticky hands
Balance and leaping ability to be win in contested catch situations
Excels at seams and crossers due to his blend of size and speed
High IQ blocker that uses positioning and footwork to seal off defenders
Quickness and agility to mirror defenders in space as a blocker
Good vision and feel for space as a ball carrier
Utilizes quickness and contact balance to pick up extra yards with the ball in his hands
Versatile weapon that can be used as receiver or blocker from a variety of alignments
Weaknesses
High hipped frame that is difficult to turn sharply
Struggles to navigate traffic as a receiver and blocker
Speed and control drops significantly when asked to run nuanced routes
Fails to consistently play back through defenders down the field
Long physical defenders give him trouble as a route runner
Lacks separation quickness when he doesn't start with leverage
Hand placement is wide and inconsistent as a run blocker
Poor habit of dropping his head at contact
Marginal play strength that limits his ability to get push as a run blocker
Lacks hand strength to control and steer defenders
High pad level and poor anchor limits his ability to win in pass protection
Doesn't find soft spots in zone or slide to help his QB
Lateral agility limitations hurt his ability to elude DBs in space
Summary
Ja’Tavion Sanders is a former 5-Star recruit and the #1 ATH in the 2021 recruiting class. A former high school basketball player turned tight end, he consistently wins at the catch point. Sanders has large sticky hands that attack the ball in the air and allow him to secure passes outside his frame. He displays good concentration and dexterity catching in traffic and through contact. Sanders is at his best as receiver when running away from defenders. His plus straight-line speed and YAC ability make him dangerous on crossers, slide routes and screens. Texas aligned Sanders in a variety of positions, with his most common being at wing. He is at his best as a blocker when asked to block out in space due to his strong movement skills. While he lacks the size to create push at the point of attack, he is effective at walling off defenders and creating running lanes. Sanders shines as a blocker when asked to insert and lead up in to the hole or kick out lineman coming across the flow of the formation. He lacks the size or strength to ever become an impact blocker and a true three down tight end but his effort and football IQ allow him to live in a variety of situations. Sanders lacks a full route tree, mostly depending on his athleticism to win in the passing game. Average change of direction skills and unpolished stem packages limit his ability to separate from defensive backs who can match him athletically. He also struggles to identify space versus zone and slide to voids. Sanders best projects as a TE2 in a play action passing attack that moves him around and gets him the ball in space. Physical limitations while require him to be paired with a more traditional Y-TE but his blend of athleticism and YAC ability will be positive addition to an offense in need of a boost to passing attack between the numbers.