The 2024 NFL Draft is getting close, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Mike Sainristil.
Michigan defensive back Mike Sainristil lifts the trophy to celebrate the 34-13 win over Washington at the national championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Sainristil played his first three seasons at Michigan at wide receiver, then moved to the nickel and slot cornerback for his last two seasons and was a good contributor on special teams. He's an instinctive player who reads and reacts quickly to route combinations and reads the quarterback well from off coverage to plant and drive downhill on throws.
He struggled at times when wide receivers attacked him with vertical releases and closed down his cushion before exploding out of their breaks. That created separation, and his tendency to sit on routes caused him to struggle to redirect. His willingness to come downhill and play the run as an edge, force defender and a good blitzer shows good physicality and aggression.
Overall, Sainristil is best suited to play in the slot in NFL sub-package schemes where he can be used in many ways to play man and zone coverage schemes and blitz. His physical, competitive playing style, quickness and athleticism make him a valuable second-day pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He will be able to contribute in Year 1 on special teams and sub-packages and provide solid depth with his skill set and position versatility.
Sainristil was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Massachusetts in his senior year of high school. He was a three-star recruit who was the 52nd-ranked cornerback in the nation and the No. 1 player in the state.
Sainristil was a wide receiver during his first three seasons at Michigan, accumulating 37 receptions for 539 yards with one TD. In his last two seasons, he played cornerback (mainly from the slot), totaling 108 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, three sacks, seven INTs (two returned for TDs in 2023) with 13 PBS and two forced fumbles.
Over the past two seasons, Sainristil has played 1,321 defensive snaps, with 1,040 of those aligned from the slot (nearly 79 percent). Only 178 snaps were aligned on outside at cornerback and 25 snaps were from safety. He also had 78 snaps on inside close to or in the box as a linebacker.
He has a lot of reps and experience playing on the inside in the slot, which is such a critical position in the NFL with the high usage of sub-packages. Sainristil rushed or blitzed on 61 snaps during the past two seasons, an average of 30 rush snaps each season, totaling four sacks and 19 pressures.
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