Saints bolster secondary, land hard-hitting Virginia safety Jonas Sanker at No. 93
The New Orleans Saints started on offense, but they finished off Day 2 by building the defense with highly productive Virginia safety Jonas Sanker.
At 6 feet, 210 pounds, Sanker was a tackle machine for the Cavaliers, rolling up 205 tackles and 12.5 TFLs while primarily serving as a box safety and nickel defender.
"It's definitely an honor and I'm grateful for the opportunity," Sanker told WWL. :I'm grateful for the Saints investing in me and taking a chance on me. I'm not gonna take that lightly and I'm gonna give it my all."
Hear an exclusive interview with Saints rookie Jonas Sanker in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
Sanker joins a safety room led by two veterans in Tyrann Mathieu and Justin Reid. He also brings an unusual background, coming up through 8-man football where he initially stood out with his athleticism playing QB and big hits at safety.
Saints head coach Kellen Moore had a clear assessment of what drew the Saints to Sanker: "He just does everything."
The hard-hitting safety profiles as a potential fit for the "star" role in Brandon Staley's new defense, a hybrid position that replaces the traditional nickel spot, and profiles as a core special teamer, Moore Said.
The Saints are yet to move around in the draft and have made the first four of their nine selections, starting with Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr. on Day 1, then adding QB Tyler Shough at No. 40 and Texas DT Vernon Broughton at No. 71.
