2. Why Sanders has a high ceiling
While Sanders has showed off solid production on film, the DT still has a high ceiling.
The South Carolina product didn't start playing football seriously until his junior year in high school. That means Sanders has just six true seasons of football under his belt.
"I started in a junior year just getting into it," Sanders said. "I was kind of on the bigger side of things, as far as my size in high school. So, at that point where I was playing at school wise, that wasn't really difficult for me to adjust to. But when I got to college I was like, 'Okay, this is big boy football in the SEC. So, it was definitely an adjustment period."
What got Sanders hooked on football was the feeling he got when he sacked the quarterback.
"I remember getting my first sack in high school and I just felt alive getting that first sack, and after that I just wanted more and more sacks," Sanders said. "And getting a scholarship to do that for college, now getting a chance to do that in the NFL, just going out there getting sack, disrupting players, that's the joy you get from playing D-line."
Sanders started off as a basketball player before transitioning to football. The DT earned All-State honors during his junior season and averaged 18 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks per game. The DT believes spending time on the court has helped him develop into a fluid player with strong moves on the field.
"I think more so like just lateral movements like crossovers or between the legs," Sanders said of what stands out. "I feel like, you see me stunting to another gap quickly. I feel like that (basketball) definitely attributed to it."
"He's just a naturally gifted athlete with power, still growing, still ascending," Beane said. "We think there is a lot in there that we think we can get with pro coaching. I think he's got a nice, high ceiling."