Jonas Sanker S Virginia | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Jonas Sanker S Virginia
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| ROLE: Zone Free Safety | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 12/13/2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40 time: 4.55 seconds (56%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ROLE: Zone Free Safety | |
| Last Updated: 12/13/2024 | |
| Draft Year: 2025 | |
| 40 time: 4.55 seconds (56%*) | |
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |
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| Overall Rating: | 82.1 / 100 | |
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| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
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78% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 100.4 | |
| Tackling: |
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80% |
| Run Defense: |
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73% |
| Coverage: |
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74% |
| Zone: |
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72% |
| Man/Press: |
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73% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
6th
Overall Rank:
#195
Position rank:
#41
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| College Games: 38 College Snaps: 2322 | ||
ESPN RATING: 74/100
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247 RATING: 85/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.5 (90%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bryan Cook - Cincinnati |
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87% |
| Jaylen Key - Alabama |
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83% |
| DeMarcco Hellams - Alabama |
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82% |
Draft Profile: Bio
From dominating 8-man football in Virginia's private school ranks to patrolling the ACC's defensive backfields, Jonas Sanker's path to prominence defies conventional wisdom. At The Covenant School, he showcased remarkable dual-threat capabilities, accumulating over 2,700 combined yards and 57 touchdowns during a junior campaign that culminated in a state championship. His journey from small-school standout to Power Five playmaker speaks volumes about his developmental trajectory.The 2023 season marked Sanker's explosion onto the national stage, as he established himself as the backbone of Virginia's secondary. His stat sheet jumped off the page - 107 tackles, 11 deflected passes, and three forced fumbles - but numbers alone don't capture his impact. The First-Team All-ACC selection's presence resonated beyond traditional box scores, forcing offensive coordinators to account for his positioning before every snap.
His senior campaign cemented his legacy in Charlottesville, highlighted by momentum-swinging plays that changed game outcomes. Whether it was sniffing out screen passes against Notre Dame, delivering a critical interception at Pittsburgh, or housing a fumble against Boston College, Sanker demonstrated an uncanny ability to deliver in crucial moments. His unprecedented four ACC Defensive Back of the Week honors in 2024 reflect both his consistency and capacity for game-breaking plays.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Excels as a second-level defender who reads backfield action and collapses running lanes with decisive movement
- Exceptional contact balance through collision points - maintains leverage and explodes through ball carriers
- Shows advanced understanding of pressure packages, timing his rushes to exploit protection schemes
- Reads quarterback intentions effectively in underneath coverage, maintaining disciplined positioning against play-action
- Wins early in run support by establishing inside leverage and shedding blockers with violent hand usage
- Demonstrates natural leadership skills in secondary, coordinating coverage adjustments pre-snap
- Manipulates receivers' releases in intermediate zones by understanding route combinations
- Brings controlled aggression to kick coverage units - breaks down efficiently in space
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Athletic limitations surface when matched against vertical threats - needs safety help over top
- Shows some mechanical inefficiency transitioning from forward drive to lateral movement
- Can get caught peeking in backfield against play-action, creating separation windows
- Will struggle to match up physically against NFL-caliber tight ends who can leverage size advantage
- Occasional overaggression leads to missed fills against misdirection plays
Scouting Report: Summary
Teams will value Sanker's impact on punt and kick units, where his anticipation and technical proficiency stand out. Between the hashes, he excels at disrupting intermediate routes and flowing to the football - traits that mesh well with aggressive quarters coverage schemes. His combination of football intelligence and physical tackling technique gives him a clear path to earning a helmet on game days.Success at the next level hinges on coordinators maximizing his strengths in confined spaces, particularly against spread formations that allow him to read through to the backfield. His knack for disguising pressures and filling alleys against the run creates intriguing possibilities in specialized defensive packages. Most effective when asked to match up with backs and tight ends while keeping everything in front of him.
Late-round prospects who stick in the NFL often do so by mastering specific roles rather than trying to be complete players. Sanker fits this mold - a high-football IQ defender who understands his strengths and plays within himself. While he may never develop into an every-down starter, his reliability in contained spaces and four-phase special teams value should earn him a long-term roster spot.
How other scouting services rate Jonas Sanker (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
169.0
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
48.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.