Why Miles Sanders could keep climbing NFL draft boards after Penn State’s Pro Day
Miles Sanders burst out of the backfield, cut upfield on a seam route and snared a high pass from Trace McSorley. “Hey, nice catch, Miles!” the quarterback bellowed, his words echoing off the Holuba Hall walls.
The Penn State running back, rarely used as a pass-catching option in 2018, put his gold receiver gloves to use at Tuesday’s Pro Day. Sanders didn’t drop a pass and showed another side to his game — one few Nittany Lion fans saw, and one that had NFL scouts nodding their heads in approval.
“The goal was to catch the ball smoothly, do a lot of slot stuff and catching out of the backfield,” Sanders said after post-Pro Day meetings with NFL scouts. “Just wanted to show teams and the running back coaches I have the hands to do it.”
Sanders proved that at Pro Day, which served as another reason for scouts and coaches to move him up their draft boards.
When Sanders announced he’d leave early for the NFL draft, he was pegged as a Day 3 pick. Back in November, Dan Shonka of OurLads.com and Scouts Inc.’s Steve Muench told the CDT that Saquon Barkley’s successor was a likely fifth-round selection, maybe a fourth-rounder if he impressed in workouts.
That outlook has since changed. The Pittsburgh native ran an official 4.49-second 40-yard dash earlier this month at the Combine, impressing the NFL Network crew on-hand. Draft expert Daniel Jeremiah said he was “all aboard the Miles Sanders express train,” and that showed in the former NFL scout’s updated top-50 big board. Last week, Jeremiah slotted Sanders in as his No. 43 overall prospect and No. 2 running back, behind consensus first-round pick and Alabama stud Josh Jacobs.
Sanders, a humble, low-key figure off the field, said he doesn’t pay too much attention to mock drafts and all that. He only saw the top-50 update because his mother, Marlene, sent him a screenshot of his name showing up on the NFL Network bottomline.
“That’s just a blessing,” the back said with a smile. “Finally getting recognized as one of the top backs in the country.”
And make no mistake: That’s where Sanders stands entering April’s draft, thanks in large part to his Combine performance and scouts suddenly realizing his fluidity as a receiver.
Sanders’ ability on the ground was well-known. The shifty, yet powerful north-south runner outgained Barkley’s 2017 total with 1,274 yards in 2018. But he was seen as a limited contributor at the next level. Sanders had only 24 catches, after all, which was tied for 40th among NCAA running backs last season.
Sanders still knew he had the ability to catch balls out of the backfield; he told the CDT in October that he wanted to be “that all-around back” for the Nittany Lions. But the 5-foot-11 ball-carrier didn’t get the opportunity to shine in the passing game. Sanders logged six receptions at Indiana in October and ran a couple routes out of the slot in Penn State’s November win over Wisconsin. That was the extent of his impact.
So to see Sanders get in and out of his breaks so smoothly Tuesday was a surprise to some. But not his Penn State teammates.
“He blew everyone away by just running the ball. But he proved here and at the Combine how smooth he is, how much concentration he has on the ball, how natural he is,” wide receiver DeAndre Thompkins said. “He was like that before. It was just a matter of showing it. He didn’t get as many opportunities to show it. And I think he capitalized on the chance.”
Added McSorley: “He’s getting the recognition that he deserves. He’s going to continue to surprise people and continue to climb up some boards.”
So, which boards might he jump up? After meeting with every team in Indianapolis, Sanders isn’t sure where he’ll land. And, in his words, “As far as round-wise, I don’t care.”
Sanders has only two goals in mind after finding out his NFL destination: Make a name for himself and earn a second contract following his rookie deal, securing the financial future for him and his family. He can achieve one through the other.
If he’s selected by the Barkley-led New York Giants, Sanders joked that it will “definitely need to be a two-back system.” But odds are he’s picked by a team that needs a No. 1 back. Jeremiah wrote in his prospect breakdown that Sanders “has the tools to emerge as a quality NFL starter.” And the Nittany Lion wants nothing more than another shot to be an “all-around back.”
“I would be blessed to go wherever,” Sanders said. “And just know, wherever I end up, they’re going to get somebody that’s going to produce.”