Ja'Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas (Junior)
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Valentin
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Strengths :
- Speed
- IQ in zone coverage
- Ball skills
- YAC threat
Weaknesses :
- Quickness
- Run block
- Only a Y TE ?
- Inconsistent production
TE Ja'Tavious Sanders
— Valentin (@ScoutValentin) January 22, 2024
Has strong and soft hands and good ball-tracking ability.
He is a fluid athlete with good straight-line speed but he doesn't have any elite athletic trait. Lacks quickness and run block skills.
He wasn't a dominant TE and he is a role-specific.
4th round pic.twitter.com/AQaWmM3O8X
TTProfil
Ja’Tavion Sanders has an average build for the position. He possesses good vertical speed and decent acceleration. I have some reservations about his quickness, which I don't find particularly impressive, especially in tight spaces. He seems to be more fast than quick in his athleticism. He has very good body control and is a fairly fluid athlete.
I can easily see from the tapes that he has good power, but he uses it poorly and doesn't seem to consistently utilize 100% of his physical abilities, which is especially noticeable in his run blocking.
He has taken snaps in several positions, including in the slot, split out wide, and in-line.
Sanders does not have a developed release package, and his lack of quickness does not help him create separation against man coverage. He needs time to develop his speed to become dangerous, so anything that happens at the first level (short) apart from motions is mediocre at best, even weak.
On the second and third levels (intermediate and long), he becomes much more interesting because he has managed to develop speed, and thanks to his power, he becomes much harder to handle for a linebacker or defensive back. Although he is fluid in his breaks, he did not impress me with sharp in or out breaks that left defenders behind.
He needs to better use his arms and work on his stem to have a lower center of gravity and be able to attack his breaks or changes of direction more effectively.
Sanders' usage is much better against zone coverage. He positions himself well and knows when and where to sit in his route to provide a viable option for his QB.
Mainly used on drive, slant, or post routes, we should see the same usage in the NFL because it allows him to showcase his qualities in yards after catch (YAC).
Ja’Tavion has very good ball skills, a good catch radius, decent upper body flexibility, and very good eye/foot/hand coordination.
He tracks the ball very well and has good hand technique; he has shown good production in making catches in traffic, though not elite in my opinion. There is a slight lack of "physicality."
He is a good threat with the ball in his hands, has good vision, and is not easy to bring down due to his good power/speed ratio.
In-line, Sanders struggled a lot and was beaten technically and physically.
He consistently gets beaten at the point of attack, does not have good leverage, and needs to be much lower on his footing to try to develop more strength.
When in motion, he is a good asset when he can be matched up against a safety, he generally takes good blocking angles, and is naturally more powerful than them.
Ja'Tavion Sanders is an intriguing prospect but doesn't fit all offenses; he's far from a traditional TE. His play is very situational, and he can completely disappear from a game, having only one or two receptions (6 games with fewer than 2 receptions in 2023).
Currently, due to his one-dimensional play, it's hard to envision him taking on a No. 1 role in an NFL offense unless the offensive coordinator is willing to use him in a specialized Y position.
I evaluate Ja’Tavion Sanders as a 4th-round prospect, but he should benefit from a weak TE class and be selected on the 2nd day of the draft.