Scouting Profile: Jonas Sanker - SAF - Virginia
Sales Pitch: Explosive safety with good size and length. Well rounded profile with the upside to be an impactful starter if he can clean up some technique issues.
*Gold Numbers Indicate NCAA T-25 for 2024*
Scouting Report
Jonas Sanker is a former 3-Star recruit from the state of Virginia where he was a basketball and football standout in high school. The senior DB appeared in 38 games for the Cavaliers, starting in 33 of them. Sanker is a two time 1st Team All-ACC defender with excellent tackling and ball production over the last three years.
Sanker is an explosive straight-line athlete with good size and length for the position. He was a versatile player for Virginia with over 500 snaps at both SAF spots, as well as in the slot and on special teams. Sanker is at his best operating on the vertical plane. He is quick to diagnose plays in front of him and has the burst to close down on routes. He does an excellent job tracking QBs eyes to anticipate and jump throws, using his length to disrupt the catch point. Sanker has the size to match up with TEs one-on-one in man coverage, and the speed to carry WRs vertically. His straight-line speed is closer to solid than great, but is enough to grant him range fitting of deep safety in two-high looks. Sanker is a willing and active run defender who posted strong tackle numbers during his time as a starter. His burst and size make him an imposing threat when running the alley. He attacks downhill with aggression and looks to deliver hits to ball carriers and blockers. He is a solid tackler in the hole who brings his feet with him and uses long arms to corral quicker ball carriers.
Sanker has a high hipped frame with better straight-line athleticism than lateral agility. He displays average redirect ability and can struggle with quicker WRs in the slot in man coverage. He shows some stiffness in his back pedal and that slight delay to open up and drive to the sideline takes true CF duties off the table. Sanker has good instincts, but has a bad habit of losing concentration in zone coverage. His eyes will drift into the backfield and lose track of routes in his area. He is easily fooled by misdirection and can be taken advantage of by play-action. Sanker’s aggressive nature causes him to overcommit in both coverage and run defense. He takes overly flat angles in pursuit, and creates lanes to the edge for ball carriers he should outrun. He will also overly seek out contact when taking on blocks when he should weave through traffic, taking himself out of the play unnecessarily.
Sanker profiles as a versatility safety who can play three spots on the backend. His downhill instincts and burst project best into a Cover-4 scheme that likes to use split safeties a majority of the time. Sanker’s well rounded profile indicates plus starter upside if he can iron out a few things and should make him a Day-2 pick.