NFL Draft
2/9/25
6 min read
Jonas Sanker 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Virginia Cavaliers
Height: 6001 (verified)
Weight: 206lbs (verified)
Year: Senior
Pro Comparison: Kenny Vaccaro
Scouting Overview
Virginia Cavaliers safety Jonas Sanker is a stout tackler and a reliable support player as a hybrid safety/nickel defender. Thanks to his plus instincts and ability to play downhill in run support, Sanker has been charged with a slew of different assignments as a defender.
He offers sufficient coverage ability in zone and can match tight ends in the heart of the field. That gives him enough flexibility to potentially stay on the field for most matchups if a team wants to use him as a base half-field player. Sanker’s football IQ and toughness would be a welcomed addition to just about any defense, but his individual strengths and weaknesses are better optimized for a certain style of play that not everyone’s ideology will accommodate.
2025 NFL Combine Results
TBD
Positives
- Very good open-field tackler with a large tackle radius thanks to his wingspan
- Instinctive football player who appears to process quickly as a deep defender and on the second level
- Very strong run defender who triggers swiftly and plays through or around traffic to make tackles
Negatives
- Modest back-end athlete who will struggle with being charged with a large coverage area
- Does not possess the ideal foot speed to play man-to-man despite extensive nickel usage
- Transitionally appears tight and may struggle with steep angles despite good technique
Background
Sanker is from Charlottesville, VA, and played high school football for The Covenant School. There, Sanker was a standout athlete who played quarterback, running back, and safety in addition to playing guard for the school’s basketball team. The Covenant School, which plays 8-man football, won back-to-back state championships with Sanker in a key role — he accounted for 60 total touchdowns in 2019 (33 passing, 24 rushing, and three defensive).
Sanker was a 3-star recruit (247 Sports) who received offers to a slew of Ivy League programs before committing to Boston College. He would decommit from the Eagles and then enroll at Virginia. Sanker would play in nine games during his debut season in 2021. Then, he assumed a starting role with the team in 2022, starting nine of 10 games he appeared in that season. Sanker started all 12 games in 2023 and was named First Team All-ACC. He achieved the same feat in his encore season during his senior year in 2024.
Sanker accepted an invitation to participate in the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl.
Tale Of The Tape
Sanker is an easy player to like. He plays the game hard, fast, and physically. Some limitations prevent him from being a universal talent, but he does have a number of universal traits. The first of which is his intelligence and instincts.
Sanker is a keen-eyed defender with swift processing skills that allow him to transition early and oftentimes allow him to be the quickest player in pursuit of the football. He sees well from depth but can also process in real-time on the second level or while rolling down into intermediate assignments.
He does well with most phases of run support and is keen on defeating blocks with angles or physicality alike. Sanker has the right blend of length and upper-body strength to negotiate blockers trying to wall him off from the alley. When he’s playing in space, he offers good initial angles to help keep a close distance in pursuit and run overtop of blockers trying to climb into his area.
He can be tested with late adjustments, as he is not the most dynamic short-area athlete. When he’s carrying pace into tackle challenges, more shifty or dynamic ball carriers can break down his fit. But he offers a firm set of pads and good length for a reliable tackle radius and, as a safety, boasts a firm 10 percent career missed tackle rate.
As a coverage player, Sanker offers versatility in intermediate areas. He’s played a lot of reps from the nickel and is a viable option at the NFL level, provided he’s not matching wide receivers. He struggles with the foot speed, hip fluidity, and transitional burst necessary to mirror wide receivers from the slot. Route salesmen and double moves can force lost leverage and potential big plays if left on an island with Sanker.
However, he’s athletically capable of staying overtop of tight ends in off-man or zone, and his transitional ability is much more in line with those body types.
Sanker has processing speed to play zone match assignments while filtering motions and switch releases. This can help keep him at appropriate levels of the field in coverage. He offers good discipline with his coverage base and posture to help aid his transitions. Still, as his limited ball production shows, he does not offer ideal burst to undercut targets. Sanker does have the length to play around the frame of targets in the passing game.
As a deep defender, Sanker can be considered a viable split-field option. When playing from depth, his vision allows him to properly leverage and cap potential explosive plays in the passing game. In Cover 2, he will be allowed to prowl a less ambitious amount of turf that will mitigate his top-end speed, transitional ability, and range.
Sanker has nearly 550 career special teams snaps on his resume, and he’s played extensively as a member of the kick and punt coverage units. If Sanker lands as a big nickel and SAF3 on a 53-man roster, his experiences here will afford him significant opportunities in the third phase of the game.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Sanker projects as a half-field safety or big nickel defender in the NFL. He boasts very good run support, instincts, and physicality, which would help him shine in the slot for a zone/zone-match heavy defensive system.
Sanker can be an NFL starter, provided he isn’t charged with too often playing on the roof or, alternatively, getting caught in disadvantageous man-to-man coverage assignments.
Grade: 74.00/100.00, Third Round Value
Big Board Rank: TBD
Position Rank: TBD
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