#42

Drew Sanders

Former linebacker at Arkansas. 2022: 104 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 10 sacks.

LB · Arkansas · Jr. · #42

6′5″ · 232 lb · Denton, TX

CFB Index 96 · #3 of 548 LBsHigh confidenceNational watchDenver — drafted 2023, Rd 3, Pick 4, #67 overall

Recruiting

5★

ATH recruit

No. 22 nationally · Signed with Alabama

Statement game16 tacklesat Mississippi State (FBS) · L 17-40

Top 0.1% tackles game since 2021.

Has Drew Sanders rushed the QB even once?r/CFB game thread · ▲ 10His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former linebacker at Arkansas. 2022: 104 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 10 sacks.

Signed as a 5-star recruit to Alabama in 2020.
Transferred from Alabama to Arkansas in 2022.
Drafted round 3 by the Denver in 2023.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Three seasons at Arkansas, 136 tackles, a first-team All-Conference season (2022) — drafted at #67 overall by Denver.

His career

He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.

20207 games

Signed with Alabama5-star out of Ryan

20217 games

Signed with Arkansas4-star out of Rockledge

202212 games

Entered the portal
All-Americafirst · 2 selectors
All-SECfirst

2023

Drafted by Denverround 3, pick 67

Career arc

Recruit

★★★★★

#22 national

CFB

College

2 teams

2020–2022

NFL

NFL Draft

R3 · #67

Denver · 2023

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

2 honors

🥇

ALL-AMERICA

Named All-American (2022)

1 selectors honored him

🥈

ALL-SEC · 1ST TEAM

All-SEC 1st team (2022)

Coaching lineage · 2020–2022

1 coach

2020–2022

Sam Pittman

Arkansas

Played his entire career under Sam Pittman.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

DenverEntering 4th NFL season

#67Rd 3 · Pick 4

DenverEntering 4th NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2022 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2020Alabama13-0HC: Nick Saban · Balanced, fast tempo

2021Alabama13-2HC: Nick Saban · Balanced, fast tempo

2022Arkansas7-6HC: Sam Pittman · Run-heavy

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

96All-America level #3 of 548?

High confidence8 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: sacks (100th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (99th percentile).

Box-score production (8)

Sacks#10 / 2755 · 100th pct

10.0

Tackles for loss#21 / 2755 · 99th pct

14.0

Tackles#32 / 2755 · 99th pct

104

QB hurries#79 / 2755 · 96th pct

Solo tackles#206 / 2755 · 92nd pct

Passes defended#240 / 2755 · 89th pct

Forced fumbles#58 / 737 · 46th pct

Interceptions#321 / 811 · 30th pct

Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2022 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home7g	10.1	1.8	1.2	0.3
Road5g	6.6	0.3	0.3	0.6

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-77g	9.1	1.1	1.0	0.4
Weeks 8+5g	8.0	1.2	0.6	0.4

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Ryan Silverfield

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2022

National watch / fringe AA

In the All-America conversation, short of a selector's first team.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

96 · #3 of 548 LBs

Former five-star. Now #3 at the position.

Selector Grid · 2022

AP—

FWAA—

AFCA—

WCFF—

SN—

SI—

Career stats

Season	Team
2022	Arkansas	104	40	14.0	10.0	5	1	--
2021	Alabama	24	12	2.5	1.0	2	--	--
2020	Alabama	8	3	0.0	0.0	--	--	--
Career		136	55	16.5	11.0	7	1	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 12 · 2022

W 42–27

vs Ole Miss

0 TFL · 4 SOLO · 10 TOT

With R. Sanders — 232 rush yds (24 car) · 3 TD · K. Jefferson — 168 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 95.7 · 47 rush yds (8 car)

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2022 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 31-24vs Cincinnati	5	3	1.0	1.0	—	0
Wk 2	W 44-30vs South Carolina	11	8	3.0	2.0	—	1	2 sacks
Wk 3	W 38-27vs Missouri State	12	5	2.5	2.5	—	1	2.5 sacks
Wk 4	L 21-23@ Texas A&M	4	0	0.5	0.5	—	0
Wk 5	L 26-49vs Alabama	12	6	1.0	1.0	—	0
Wk 6	L 17-40@ Mississippi State	16	3	0.0	0.0	—	1	Season-high 16 tackles
Wk 7	W 52-35@ BYU	4	1	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 9	W 41-27@ Auburn	2	2	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 10	L 19-21vs Liberty	9	3	3.5	1.0	—	0	3.5 TFL
Wk 11	L 10-13vs LSU	12	2	1.0	1.0	—	0
Wk 12	W 42-27vs Ole Miss	10	4	0.5	0.0	1	0
Wk 13	L 27-29@ Missouri	7	3	1.0	1.0	—	2
Total		104	40	14.0	10.0	1	5