Mike Sainristil played multiple positions in his career at Michigan, but on Friday, the Commanders’ No. 50 overall pick was a two-way player on DC Sports Radio – he hit up Chris Russell on The Team 980, and then Grant & Danny on 106.7 The Fan!
And in starting with Rooster, Sainristil, who had 37 catches over three years before switching to CB in 2022, really just got comfortable there last offseason…ahead of being a First Team All-American and Big Ten Championship Game MVP.
“It’s great to call myself a Commander; just excited to be a part of the program, be a piece of the puzzle,” Sainristil told G&D as he joined them. “I'm super excited for what Adam Peters and coach Quinn have set out for the future of this team, and it's just a blessing to be a part of it. It’s an honor to be drafted, and I can't say thank you to them enough for selecting me.
I'm excited to get things going.”
Sainristil only played corner for two years at Michigan, but he was a first-team All-American and the Big Ten Championship Game MVP last year – and from there, he knew the Commanders had a little interest, but he went from Michigan’s Pro Day to the Draft without knowing anything more…and thought he might be headed to Pittsburgh?
“I met with them the night before my pro day, and it went really well; I felt that they liked me, but that was really the last I heard from them until the phone call,” he said. “My agent and I never discussed that the Commanders were gonna be one of the teams that might take me, but I knew that the Steelers really wanted me at 51. When I was getting the phone call, I saw it was a Virginia area code, and I didn't know if one of the coaches from the Steelers had a Virginia area code, but when I picked up, I heard it was Adam Peters. I was like, oh, wait, you know what I'm saying? It was definitely very surprising, but I was happy to hear who it was because the last we spoke, we had a really good conversation, and I felt like I was going into a very good situation. Everything about being here feels right.”
As he also told Rooster, he’s ready to compete for whatever role they ask of him, especially in the nickel, and he’s ready to bring the leadership being a two-time captain in Ann Arbor has instilled in him.
“They're gonna expect certain things out of me, and I'm ready to do exactly what's needed of me, do whatever they ask of me,” he said. “In all situations it’s gonna be putting the team first, and I believe that my success is gonna come from the team being successful. I have no problem being in the front of the group; I could lead from the front or the back, and I have no problem being the guy that doesn't talk at all and just acts. I think people just naturally gravitate towards the type of person I am, so it puts me in a position where I know I have to lead amongst a group of leaders. I'm open to listening to other leaders, I'm open to being held accountable by other people, even people who aren't leaders, and the biggest thing for me is I'm never gonna ask anyone to do something that I wouldn’t ask myself to do. I think when people see that, it allows myself to just be myself.”
And he’s looking forward to doing that with a fan base just as rabid as the Wolverines’ supporters.
“I'm very appreciative of our fans from Michigan; they supported us through the bad, they supported us through the good, and they stuck it out all the way up until we won the national championship, and they're still there rooting for the next team coming up,” Sainristil said. “I love our fans, I think it's definitely a two-way street when it comes to them; they support us, we support them, we want them to be at our events loud and proud and showing up and showing out. The game of football definitely brings life to people, so if I can go out there and perform my best, I know the fans are gonna be happy. I enjoy doing what I love and they come to watch me do what I love, so I have to give them a show.”
Take a listen to Sainristil’s entire visit with Grant & Danny above!