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.
“Some guys play positions, some guys play football, and I believe I play football,” Sainristil said. “Definitely just understanding that I had a solid first year playing the position, so I believe that I set a good foundation for myself to build off of. Going into my second year, I had all the confidence in the world to go out there and play how I was playing, and now taking this next step going to the NFL, the ceiling is still higher. Knowing the coaches I'm gonna be playing for, they're guys who are known to develop players, and it excites me a lot knowing that we're gonna be able to work together.”
What also helped is that, much as you might expect switching to a mirror position, Sainristil knew that much more intimately what his opponents’ mindset was.
“It helped out a lot, just being able to determine routes and read routes as they're happening, understand timing of concepts and when the ball needs to be out,” he said. “It kind of just gave me a step ahead of what was going on. Having that receiver background I believe played a big factor in, or still plays a big factor in, how I play the style I play on defense.”
Nick Saban called Sainristil ‘the best pound for pound player in the game,’ and even though some my see him as small, well, it’s not the size of the dog in the fight…
“I show I have versatility when it comes to not only positions, but again, what I can do on the field. That's what you get from a football player: someone who could play the game at a very high level, no matter where he is,” Sainristil said. “Someone who can do many different things and just go show them you can do it, because that's the type of person you are. I don’t worry about anything; I don't step on the field saying to myself I'm smaller than these guys and it’s not gonna work out good for me. I step on the field like this is who I am, this is how God made me. I'm gonna do what I can do with what he gave me, and I'm gonna line up against you and my mindset is dominate you.”
And it’s not just that experience – it’s doing it at such a high level, in the Big Ten for the National Champions, that Sainristil thinks gives him the leg up.
“I feel like the talent level that the NFL has every week can be one of those moments, so a school like Michigan definitely prepares you for what the next level has to offer, both on and off the field,” Sainristil said. “It’s probably gonna go down in history as a classic with us playing Alabama in the Rose Bowl, every year we've played Ohio State is a classic, and then just the national championship; it wasn’t the old Rose Bowl, but that's gonna be a classic. Those moments that happened in those games are all huge.”
And he’s looking forward to many more in whatever role Dan Quinn and the staff have for him.
“They really haven't told me much, but I believe that I'm gonna compete to be a base corner, and at the end of the day, the best guy is gonna play wherever he's needed,” Sainristil said. “Whatever decision is made, I'm ready to rock with it and just, you know, do my part.”
Take a listen to Sainristil’s entire visit with Rooster above!