Projecting Rookie LB Drew Sanders' Role on Broncos' Defense
When the Denver Broncos selected Drew Sanders with the No. 67 pick of the 2023 NFL draft, draftniks across the community lauded the selection as an incredible steal for their defense. Sanders was widely thought of as a top-40 player in the class, a potential first-round pick, and one of the top linebackers in the class, so seeing him last until the top of the third round was quite a surprise.
Part of the reason Sanders fell could be his interesting usage in college, seeing time coming off of the edge in his first couple of seasons at Alabama while also being deployed as a stack linebacker playing off of the ball at Arkansas last year. Sanders has the athleticism to do both and played well in each role, so talent wasn’t the issue. It was more based on the question of where he would be best suited at the NFL level.
Going back to his tape at Alabama, Sanders was primarily used as a rotational pass rusher off of the edge and as a core special teams player. In his sophomore season, Sanders stepped into a starting role after his current Broncos teammate Christopher Allen suffered an injury, collecting 24 total tackles (two for loss) and a sack.
Wanting to see an expanded role and more playing time, Sanders chose to transfer to Arkansas, where he had a breakout campaign with a team-leading 103 total tackles (13 for loss), 9.5 sacks, one interception, five pass breakups, and three forced fumbles as an off-ball linebacker.
Sanders has great length for either position and is incredibly fluid moving in open spaces. He has great change-of-direction ability and shows the requisite hip fluidity and bend to become a pass rusher full-time.
So what is his best role moving forward?
Enter Vance Joseph
One of the reasons Sanders made a ton of sense for the Broncos to add to the roster is the Joseph effect. Joseph had a very similar player with the Arizona Cardinals in linebacker Zaven Collins. Collins had the prototypical build to be an edge rusher coming out of Tulsa, but his best tape in college came when he was coming downhill as an off-ball linebacker.
Collins worked better moving forward in a straight line rather than as a dropback coverage linebacker, and Joseph tried to deploy him in that fashion for the most part with the Cardinals. Collins played 17% of his defensive snaps on the defensive line last season under Joseph, but most of those reps came on first and second down rather than in true pass-rushing situations. He also played in over 500 total coverage snaps, surrendering 41 receptions on 51 total targets.
Under a new regime in Arizona under head coach Jonathan Gannon, Collins is spending a lot of time coming off of the edge, according to multiple reports, leading to questions about Joseph not being able to unlock Collins’ full potential as a player.
However, Collins’ deployment was mostly by design and not by incompetence. The defensive talent in Arizona last year was incredibly lacking, and Joseph didn’t have a choice other than to place Collins in a position that wasn’t conducive to his talents.
The Cardinals also asked Collins to be the driving force of the defense and learn on the fly, making his growing curve very steep. While Collins wasn’t quite as good as projected, he did play well in an uncomfortable position as the leader of the Cardinals’ defense.
Answering the Question
In Denver, Joseph has a pair of quality off-ball linebackers in place in Josey Jewell and Alex Singleton, so Sanders isn’t needed to be an impact player immediately as a rookie. This opens up a lot of possibilities for Sanders as a rotational player early in his career.
Sanders does succeed as a blitzer coming from the second level of the defense, so using him on third downs as a green dog blitzer when the running back doesn’t release from the backfield is a niche role that Joseph should consider using him in. He also has enough coverage versatility and athleticism that he can still handle some coverage responsibilities while playing in obvious passing situations.
Sanders is also a quality player as a slashing run defender, so throwing him out there to give one of Jewell or Singleton a breather for a series or two could be a good idea.
Where it Could Go Wrong
If the Broncos decide to cross-train Sanders as an edge defender, making him learn two different positions and placing too much on his plate, there could be several issues with his development. Despite having experience in college in that kind of role, Sanders hasn’t been a true edge defender since his sophomore year at Alabama, and even then, he was deployed as a rotational player until injuries struck.
Coaches around the league have a rather large issue with trying to cross-train players, including former Broncos coach Vic Fangio with players like Justin Hollins and Baron Browning. Having a true and designed role for a player to get comfortable in is paramount.
Another issue that could arise is the potential trade or release of Jewell, who is in the last year of his deal. Moving on from Jewell would save the Broncos $4.8 million against the salary cap with $2.25 million in dead money, making him a prime candidate to be a training cap casualty.
For all of the grief that fans give Jewell due to his lack of athleticism, he is still a quality coverage defender in the passing game due to his incredibly high football IQ. Sanders, despite possessing sideline-to-sideline range and athleticism, still needs to figure out how to diagnose what is going on around him and react rather than rely on his tools.
Sanders still needs time to develop. Putting him in a starting role when he is still adjusting to the speed of the game and developing the nuances of being a full-time off-ball linebacker is a recipe for disaster.
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