The Green Bay Packers hosted South Carolina defensive lineman T.J. Sanders on a pre-draft visit, according to a report from Easton Butler of Packer Report that was confirmed by Bill Huber of SI.com.
Sanders (6-4, 297) produced 16.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and six batted passes over the last two seasons. He ranks No. 65 on the consensus big board, possibly making him a second-round option for the Packers at No. 54.
According to PFF, Sanders among the leaders in true pass set pass-rushing grade, pass-rush win rate and run stop rate among defensive tackles in college football last season. He produced 44 total pressures. The 21-year-old is a likely 3-technique prospect along the defensive line at the NFL level.
Sanders hit 31.5" in the vertical leap, covered 9-4 in the broad jump, finished the three-cone drill in 7.77 seconds and the 20-yard shuttle in 4.67 seconds. His Relative Athletic Score (RAS) is 9.38 out of 10.0 -- highlighting his athleticism at his size and position.
From Lance Zierlein of NFL.com: "Sanders is a powerful road block with heavy hands and a strong core. He rarely touches the ground. Despite a lack of knee bend, he usually gives better than he gets and blockers have a hard time keeping him sealed. He punches and locks out quickly with a twitchy shed to tackle a gap over. His rush features average first-step quickness, but sudden hand swipes and play-through power in his lower half open pathways to the pocket. Sanders' blend of power and pressure should put him on the board for both odd- and even-front defenses as a potential three-down solution."
The Packers could see Sanders as a disruptive interior defender who give the defensive line depth behind Devonte Wyatt and Karl Brooks or a potential future starter.
Sanders participated at the Senior Bowl despite being a redshirt junior. Several media outlets saw him as a standout of early practices in Mobile.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers host South Carolina DL T.J. Sanders on pre-draft visit
