Getty Tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders #0 of the Texas Longhorns catches a touchdown pass against Oklahoma State.
Ja’Tavion Sanders from the University of Texas is among the top prospects gathered in Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine. While speaking to the media on Thursday, Sanders raised eyebrows with a comment about Texas’ exit from the Big 12, seemingly dissing the competition that the team will face in the SEC.
‘Now We Can Assert True Dominance,’ Sanders Said About Joining the SEC
Ja’Tavion Sanders is ready to watch Texas own the SEC!
(h/t @JonDAdams) #HookEm
Heavy’s Jonathan Adams asked Sanders what he thought Texas’ outlook will be in the SEC, and what it was like playing in the Big 12.
Sanders replied, “It was fun playing in the Big 12. The Big 12 is one of those conferences where anybody can beat anybody. And I’m glad Texas & OU is going to the SEC. Now we can assert true dominance.”
You can watch Sanders’ reply in the tweet below.
On X (formerly known as Twitter), people had some choice reactions to Sanders’ comment. An OU fan wrote, “As an OU fan we don’t claim this.” But Longhorns fans were happy about Sanders’ confidence.
Texas had a strong showing during its final year as a member of the Big 12. The Longhorns won their first conference championship since 2009, defeating Oklahoma State 49-21 in the league championship game. In the College Football Playoff, they lost 37-31 against the Washington Huskies.
It was the closest the Longhorns had come to a national championship game since 2009, Axios reported. The last time they won a championship was in 2005.
Sanders Said He’s Spoken to a Number of NFL Teams Who Love His Vertical Passing Game
During his media interview at the NFL Combine, Sanders shared more details about his future prospects. He revealed that he had talked with a lot of teams so far, including the Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, LA Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphinas, and more. He said they loved his vertical passing game.
Ja’Tavion Sanders has met with a who’s who of NFL franchises at the #NFLCombine #hookem
He said his meeting with the Chicago Bears went “pretty well, great actually.”
Texas Longhorns TE Ja’Tavion Sanders says he had a meeting with the Chicago Bears. When I asked him how the meeting went, he said it went “pretty well, great actually.”
When asked about some of his biggest plays, Sanders recalled his game against Alabama, and also the Baylor game where “I caught it one hand with a defender on my back and broke 30, 40 yards.”
NFL Combine | Look for #Texas TE Ja’Tavion Sanders to be a big winner this week:
He said that one of his main focuses for moving on to the next level is “working on my run blocking for sure.” When asked what he likes in particular about the wide zone, he commented, “Going out there to manhandle somebody makes you feel good about yourself.”
A recent scouting report by Bleacher Report ranks Sanders high for the 2024 NFL Draft. His acceleration, speed on the open field, above-average play strength as a receiver, and concentration skills make him a strong contender. Bleacher Report also noted that his main negatives were below-average size, improvement needed on his run-blocker technique, and sometimes having trouble changing direction. Standing at 6’4″ and weighing 243 pounds, he would be a lighter weight tight end in the NFL, but his impressive skills still make him a strong contender.
The Draft Network proposed that his three best fits might be with the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, or Cincinnati Bengals. In his media interview, Sanders did mention speaking with both the Chargers and the Bengals, among many other teams, so far.