Five players who improved their draft stock most in 2022
By Jack Brentnall
Five players who improved their draft stock most in 2022
Drew Sanders – LB, Arkansas
To say Sanders came out of nowhere would be overstating it. After all, he was a five-star recruit back in 2019 and the No. 22 overall player in the class. He ended up committing to Alabama and spent three years with the Crimson Tide. His issue was that he barely saw the field. Over the course of those three seasons, Sanders was limited to just 336 snaps.
His starting opportunity came in 2022 after transferring to Arkansas and he made the move from edge rusher to off-ball linebacker. The speed at which Sanders has adjusted to this new position will have piqued the interest of NFL evaluators and got them excited about what he could become. Sanders led the Razorbacks in defensive stops (43), forced fumbles (4) and pressures (39) in 2022.
His combination of size and speed is unteachable. Despite standing at 6’5″ and 233 lbs, Sanders has recorded a time of 10.91 in the 100m. The fact he has now managed to combine those rare athletic tools with a strong season of production is why he is going to keep rising up draft boards.