Drew Sanders reveals he grew up a Cowboys fan ahead of NFL Draft
Wrapping up his Pro Day at Arkansas, 2023 NFL Draft prospect Drew Sanders opened up to reporters about his pre-draft experience, which included a trip to the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.
The former Alabama linebacker and Denton, Texas native also revealed his childhood affinity for the Dallas Cowboys and what he believes to be his biggest asset going into the draft.
“Yeah, a little bit of a Cowboys fan,” Sanders said. “You get to play in the NFL, can’t be too picky.”
Sanders, a former five-star prospect, says he believes his versatility on the field will draw teams to him, but his lack of experience could also be a drawback.
“Really just kind of a lack of experience at the position,” Sanders said of the critiques he’s received since the combine. “So I mean you kind of have some experience issues, reading something, like that.”
After leaving Alabama for Arkansas, Sanders racked up a career-high 103 tackles with 9.5 sacks and an interception for the Razorbacks. With the Hogs, he was able to showcase the versatility he hopes teams see on the tape.
“Being able to play that stack position at linebacker helped me a lot, the time here was invaluable,” Sanders said.
According to the ESPN best-available board, Sanders is the No. 2 overall inside linebacker prospect in this year’s draft.
“Sanders has value on all three downs as a second-level defender, and he can be used off the edge — he has an uncanny ability to create edge pressure,” ESPN’s Justin Reid wrote in his latest mock draft in which Sanders goes No. 27 overall to the Bills.
The Razorbacks star has the chance to go in the first or second round of this year’s draft. According to Sanders, he spent some time looking at mock draft, but at this point, he’s just focusing on getting back into “football shape.”
“You can look at that stuff,” Sanders said of the mock drafts. “I was looking at it and getting excited but I stopped. It’s in god’s hands now, you can’t affect it too much.”
More on the 2023 NFL Draft
The 2023 NFL Draft takes place from Thursday, April 27 through Saturday, April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The event location this year is the plaza just outside of Union Station.
Round 1 of the NFL Draft begins at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Apr. 27. Rounds 2-3 will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 28, and Rounds 4-7 will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 29. The draft broadcast runs throughout the weekend on both ESPN and NFL Network.