Buffalo started off night two of the NFL Draft by moving up 15 spots from No. 56 to 41 to draft South Carolina defensive tackle T.J. Sanders. Here’s five things to know about one of Buffalo’s newest players.
1. A violent, twitchy defensive tackle
There are several things to like about the way Sanders plays his game. One of his biggest strengths is his violent pursuit. The DT is physical with strong hands to get off blocks and knock down the quarterback.
“A guy who plays with a high IQ, adaptable, explosive, twitchy,” Sanders said of how he would describe himself. “Can play the run, can rush the passer, I feel like that’s just me.”
Sanders’ twitch turned into 9.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss during his collegiate career at South Carolina. One thing Bills general manager Brandon Beane liked about Sanders’ game was his willingness to not give up until the play is over.
“I’ve seen T.J. live three or four times the last two years,” Beane said. “He stands out on tape. His athleticism, his size, the way he uses his length.”
“I think I bring a high motor,” Sanders said. “Guy who gets after it every snap, someone who doesn’t quit on games, quit on plays. If the game’s out of reach, or anything like that, I’m always playing to the hardest…it’s a non-stop mentality.”
Beane sees Sanders’ main home being at a three-technique.
“I would say his primary is three, so he’d give three to one,” Beane said. “But we like the idea of adding another inside rusher, another guy to pair with Ed on clear passing downs. But we could still play him at one if we wanted to.”
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.”
3. Excited to join a defense-heavy draft class
The Bills drafted defensive players with their first five draft picks and ended up going defense with six out of their nine picks. Sanders is excited for the competition between the group once they’re all together for rookie minicamp.
“First five being defensive guys, trying to just make a stand on defense, make sure defense is one of our best areas on the team,” Sanders said. “And make sure we’re all understanding that it’s going to be a lot of competition. For one, we got a bunch of great guys. We’re all just here to work, continue to get better. We all got one ultimate goal.”
Sanders joins a defensive line room with one familiar face in new Bills defensive tackle Deone Walker. Sanders actually FaceTimed Walker from the Bills facility once he realized Walker was joining him as a teammate.
“I called him immediately,” Sanders shared. “Me and Deone, we grew a relationship at the Senior Bowl and the Combine. We were the first group out at the Senior Bowl and we were like, ‘Man could you imagine this duo?’ Now we’re getting it and it’s just crazy how life works.”
Sanders and Walker join a defensive line that has several new faces compared to last year. In fact, there are six new defensive linemen on Buffalo’s roster. The Bills also have an influx of youth in their defensive line room now with six players with two years or less of experience.
4. SEC to the NFL
Buffalo used their first four picks on former SEC players. Sanders played at South Carolina, which was the first school to offer him a scholarship. Now with four years of SEC football under his belt, Sanders believes the conference got him ready for the NFL.
“(The SEC) still is known as the hardest league in America other than the NFL,” Sanders said. “And just wanting to go there, I feel like if I couldn’t play in the SEC, I couldn’t play in a league. So, I wanted to go to the SEC and really prove myself, prove that I belong.”
“How can you not respect the SEC and their track record?” Beane said. “Every year, every draft. A lot of premium players. It’s not the only league, but it’s a pretty loaded division.”
One perk of having other SEC players also get drafted by the Bills is the familiarity the class already has with one another. Sanders and Bills first-round pick CB Maxwell Hairston grew close during the pre-draft process.
“W got to know each other quite a few at the Senior Bowl and the Combine,” Sanders shared. “That’s my guy for sure. You know I’m ready to play beside him.”
5. Buffalo ties
While Sanders has spent his entire life in South Carolina, he does have ties to Buffalo. The DT knows University of Buffalo’s head football coach Pete Lembo.
Lembo and Sanders overlapped at the University of South Carolina for three seasons while Lembo was the Gamecocks’ special teams coach and assistant head coach.
“Coach Pistol Pete, glad to be back in the same area with him,” Sanders said. “When we were at South Carolina he was a great coach. He had me invested in special teams, and I never had even thought about it. Just the things he did with his schemes, and he always made it fun…Him being out here, I knew he just had a great season, first year at Buffalo. I hope he continues that success, and I hope to chop it up with him soon.”
Sanders said if special teams is part of his NFL future, it’s all thanks to Lembo.
“If I do play special teams it will be all credit to Coach Lembo and everything he taught me.”