It’s 5 o’clock somewhere…
The 5 o’clock club is published from time to time during the season, and aims to provide a forum for reader-driven discussion at a time of day when there isn’t much NFL news being published. Feel free to introduce topics that interest you in the comments below.
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Let’s start with this post-draft analysis:
The Commanders earned praise for the selection [of Sainristil], not just because of who they chose, but also because of how they were able to land an All-American in the bottom half of the draft’s second round.
Longtime college football writer Bruce Feldman told Kevin Clark on ESPN and Omaha Productions’ “This Is Football” podcast that he believed Sainristil was one of the draft’s biggest steals, calling him his “favorite college player.”
“I can say this from being on their sidelines during a lot of games — he was the best leader on that team,” Feldman said. “I would argue that he did more to change Michigan football in the last couple of years as much as any player they had. He’s 182 pounds. If you see him walking around when he wears his glasses, he looks like a law school student. He’s a bright kid. He’s super instinctive. He’s really tough. He’s a dynamic athlete.”
Very few know college players quite like @BruceFeldmanCFB so we had him on to run down DRAFT STEALS in a really fun, wide-ranging and absolutely info-packed episode. Here’s a preview of some of his guys including two Commanders and a Steeler. pic.twitter.com/UCiNU9xm1I
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) May 1, 2024
Nick Saban watched the impact Sainristil had in Michigan’s 27-20 overtime victory against the Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Rose Bowl, a game in which the Massachusetts native had six tackles, including a tackle for loss. While working as an NFL draft analyst for ESPN this year more than three months after his retirement from Alabama, Saban praised Washington’s selection of Sainristil right after it was made.
“There’s a difference between love and loves. I loves this guy,” Saban said. “This guy may be the best football player pound-for-pound in the draft. He’s instinctive, he’s physical and I know he’s not very big, but I’ll tell you what: this guy makes plays. He can cover, he can tackle, he’s tough, a fast reactor. I just love the way this guy plays. I just love it. He’s a good blitzer. He killed us in our game blitzing, just killed us coming off the edge as a star.”
By the end of his college career, Sainristil was known as one of the best players on Michigan’s dominant defense, but that hadn’t always been the case. Prior to his senior year as a Wolverine, most of his time had been spent on the other side of the ball. Sainristil was named the Gatorade Player of the Year playing both wide receiver and cornerback as a high school senior, but Michigan coaches chose to put him on offense when he arrived in Ann Arbor, making him a receiver.
Sainristil had his moments on offense for the Wolverines. He made three starts in the team’s COVID-shortened six-game season, recording two touchdowns and averaging 11.7 yards per catch. Then, in 2021 season he had his best season as an offensive receiver, tallying 312 yards and two scores, including a career-long 51-yard pass against Rutgers a touchdown in the Big Ten Championship.
Interestingly, Sainristil’s eventual position switch started out as a joke between Sainristil and Michigan’s defensive coaches. He would make passing comments like, “Whenever you guys need me to play defense, let me know I’ll come and play.” The coaches laughed it off until the team lost three starting defensive backs.
“Did I know it was actually going to happen? No, but you know, I’m glad it did,” Sainristil said via The Michigan Daily. “I like where I’m at playing defense right now.”
As a defensive player, he was more impactful than he had ever been as a college receiver. He became a two-time All-Big Ten selection — First Team All-American in 2023 — recording 102 tackles over his final two seasons.
His field awareness was praised by multiple draft analysts
We got a good one @MikeSainristil
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) May 24, 2024
At 5’9” and 182 pounds, Mikey Sainristil doesn’t sound like an NFL defensive player, but in his time at Michigan, Sainristil played big. I mean, it’s not like Washington fans haven’t seen good defensive backs his size before; after all, Darrell Green was 5’9”, 184 pounds when he was drafted.
The one area in which Sainristil’s size may hamper him is against the run game, where he may simply fall off tackles due to his physical limitations. This may create mismatch opportunities for opposing offenses, but I would expect DQ & Joe Whitt to design defensive plans that mitigate this issue.
Mike Sainristil is a versatile defensive back with tons of collegiate experience. He is an explosive athlete who makes up for his lack of ideal overall size through instincts, intelligence and aggression. He appears to be destined to play nickel in the NFL, though there would seem to be opportunity to use his good hands and open field running abilities on kick returns, or even as a receiver or runner on some special plays brewed up in the laboratory by the offensive staff.
After all, just listen to Adam Peters talk about watching Mikey at Michigan’s pro day:
“He was incredible doing the DB drills, and then he was the best one on offense doing the receiver drills, outstanding route runner, outstanding ball skills, and he could just go all day.”
SAINRISTIL’S HIGHLIGHT FILM
Although Sainristil spent most of his childhood in Massachusetts and played at Everett High School, he was born in Port Au Prince, Haiti, and spent the first seven months of his life there. He has cited the move from Haiti to the United States as providing him with a better life, and seems glad to be playing American football instead of the other kind (soccer).
Mikey has certainly made the most of his opportunity. Sainristil has proven that he has a nose for the ball, corralling seven career interceptions — six in his final year at Michigan when he played a full season at defensive back — and forcing two fumbles. Of Sainristil’s six interceptions for the Wolverines last season, two were returned for touchdowns. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan’s coach, said of Sainristil, “That’s a difference-maker. The guy that makes the magic happen when you need the magic to happen. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Sainristil is a team leader, a college All-American, an accomplished high school player who successfully switched positions in college, and a national champion. Who’s to say that his adaptability, skill and attitude won’t take him to the same heights of professional football that he achieved in college?