Post-NFL draft analysis can be a tricky and wasteful process, as analysts evaluate player actions and team selections before these prospects have even played a single professional game. It happens often.
For some people who follow football more closely than others, at least one thing is clear. That means the former Michigan star could very well be one of the biggest steals in the draft.
Defensive back Mike Sainristil, who supported the Wolverines' overwhelming defense and was one of the driving forces that led them to the national championship, was selected by the Washington Commanders with the 50th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
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The coaches drew praise for their selections, not just for who they selected, but also for how they were able to land an All-American in the bottom half of the second round of the draft.
Bruce Feldman, a longtime college football writer, told Kevin Clark. ESPN and Omaha Productions' “This Is Football” Podcast He believed Sainristil was one of the greatest steals in the draft and called him his “favorite college player.”
“I can tell you from being on their sideline for a lot of games, he was the best leader on that team,” Feldman said. “I would argue that he has done more to change Michigan football over the past few years than any other Michigan player. He weighs 182 pounds. He's walking around wearing glasses. He looks like a law school student. He's very instinctive. He's a dynamic athlete.”
If there's a reason Sainristil is the eighth cornerback selected in the draft, it's probably because of his relatively small size. At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, he was measured at 5-foot-9 and 182 pounds.
But to those watching him, those pounds and inches don't really matter. It wasn't just bystanders like Feldman. That group includes perhaps the greatest coach to ever roam a college sideline.
In his final game as Alabama coach, Nick Saban reflected on Theinristil's impact on Michigan's 27-20 overtime victory over the Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Rose Bowl. I stared. Ceinristil, a Massachusetts native, recorded six tackles in the game. , including tackles for loss. Saban, who was working as an NFL draft analyst for ESPN earlier this year, more than three months after retiring from the University of Alabama, praised Sainristil immediately after Washington selected him.
“There's a difference between love and love. I love this person.” Saban said. “This guy might be the best pound-for-pound football player in the draft. I know he's instinctive and physical and he's not big, but I'll tell you this, this guy can play. He can cover, he can tackle, he's a fast reactor. I love this guy's style of play. He's a good blitzer in our game. They just killed us with an impactful play and killed us as stars falling off a cliff.”
Sainristil finished the 2023 season with 44 tackles, five lost tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, six interceptions and six pass breakups, the last two of which were team highs.
