Dynasty Rookie Profile: Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE

The Texas Longhorns have a few intriguing NFL talents in this upcoming 2024 NFL Draft class, with names such as Adonai Mitchell, Xavier Worthy, and Jonathon Brooks all looking like early-round picks. Another name that may find himself picked early is Ja’Tavion Sanders, the current TE2 across multiple evaluators and journalist’s draft boards. Sanders was a consistent target for the Longhorns and Quinn Ewers, and he’ll be one to watch as he develops his skill set.

Ja’Tavion Sanders (TE) Texas—Dynasty Rookie Profile

Height: 6’4

Weight: 243 lbs

Sanders had two strong collegiate seasons for the Texas Longhorns, providing over 600 yards each year of his last two years. He had 682 yards on 45 grabs in 2023, good enough for a 15.2 yards per catch average. Notably, he was a playmaker at the college level, proving to be a mismatch on inferior-sized defenders and still being able to move the sticks. Overall, he only scored 7 touchdowns across those two seasons for the Longhorns, showing that he has room to grow in the red zone. Let’s take a look at what Sanders has to still work on, and what he does well at the tight end position.

Strengths

Top-Tier Athlete

Sanders best qualities lay in the fact that he is nowhere near his finished product as a football player. He exudes athleticism, proving stronger than most of his college competition while remaining an incredibly fast tight end. Additionally, he was able to make big catches and fly open downfield, showing superior athleticism when facing linebackers and defensive backs. Ultimately, if he can further grow his body and skill set, he will be an NFL offensive threat.

Weaknesses

Route Running

Not a huge surprise for a college tight end, Sanders wasn’t asked to have a diverse route tree at the college level. He has a few downfield plays on his highlight reels, but so much of his work was done in the flat and extending plays. If he can show more downfield versatility and over the middle routes, he should be able to further his game and fantasy output. All in all, he needs to continue growing and learning new skills both receiving and blocking to be useful at the NFL level.

NFL Fit and Capital

It will be interesting to see the narrative around Sander’s draft capital formulate over time. He certainly has enough talent to be taken in the late first round. However, he may have to wait until early in the night of the draft’s second day. A few teams such as the Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders, and Indianapolis have picks in the second round, plus a need at the position. If one of these teams can mold Sander’s abilities and get the ball in his hands, they will have a dynamic playmaker.

Dynasty Outlook

If Sanders does find that fit to help him grow his route running and learn how to dominate with his body type, he should become a secure top 12 option for fantasy eventually. He will instantly be one of the more physically gifted tight ends in the league and with his game built on catching the ball, we could be looking at a top-three option in an NFL offense. Sanders is a talent who would receive more hype if he was not in a class with an all-time tight-end prospect in Brock Bowers.