Jonas Sanker (YO-nas; born November 23, 2002)[1] is an American professional football safety for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers and was selected by the Saints in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft.
| No. 33 – New Orleans Saints | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Safety | ||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | November 23, 2002 Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 211 lb (96 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | The Covenant School (Charlottesville) | ||||||||||
| College | Virginia (2021–2024) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2025: 3rd round, 93rd overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||||
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Early life
editSanker was born on November 23, 2002 in Charlottesville, Virginia.[2] He attended The Covenant School in Virginia. Coming out of high school, he was rated as a three-star recruit and committed to play college football for the Boston College Eagles.[3][4] However, Sanker later flipped his commitment to play for the Virginia Cavaliers.[5]
College career
editAs a freshman in 2021, Sanker notched five tackles.[6] In week 4 of the 2022 season, he recorded his first career interception versus Syracuse.[7] Sanker finished the 2022 season totaling 63 tackles with half a tackle being for a loss, two pass deflections, an interception, a fumble recovery, and a forced fumble.[8] In 2023, he led the Cavaliers in tackles with 107 while also making four for a loss, 11 pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, and three forced fumbles.[9][10] For his performance in the 2023 season, Sanker was named first-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).[11]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+3⁄8 in (1.84 m) | 206 lb (93 kg) | 32+1⁄4 in (0.82 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 6 ft 5+5⁄8 in (1.97 m) | 4.48 s | 1.51 s | 2.63 s | 4.48 s | 7.06 s | 36.5 in (0.93 m) | 10 ft 8 in (3.25 m) | 12 reps |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[12][13] | ||||||||||||
Sanker was selected by the New Orleans Saints with the 93rd pick in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft.[14] The Saints acquired the 93rd pick as part of the trade that sent Marshon Lattimore to the Washington Commanders.[15]
NFL career statistics
editReferences
edit- ↑ "His Dad Lost His Memory, But His Mom, Siblings Never Forget: Jonas Sanker Is a Star". news.virginia.edu. November 21, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
- ↑ "Saints DB Jonas Sanker: From 3rd-Round Pick in 2025 To No. 22 Player in 2026". New Orleans Saints On SI. June 5, 2026. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ Harvey, John (June 10, 2020). "Covenant's Jonas Sanker verbally commits to Boston College". The Daily-Progress. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ↑ Rowland, Justin (June 9, 2020). "Jonas Sanker goes on the record following commitment". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ↑ Harvey, John (July 12, 2020). "Jonas Sanker flips commitment from Boston College to Virginia". The Daily-Progress. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ↑ "Jonas Sanker 2021 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ↑ Madia, Greg (September 28, 2022). "Former Covenant star Jonas Sanker enjoying breakout season with Virginia football team". The Daily-Progress. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ↑ "Jonas Sanker". Sports Reference. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ↑ Madia, Greg (March 15, 2024). "Spring positional primer: With Jonas Sanker leading the way, Virginia's safeties are a solid group". The Daily-Progress. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ↑ Madia, Greg (March 18, 2024). "Virginia has 'more than enough talent' to improve in 2024, which excites veterans Malachi Fields and Jonas Sanker at start of spring". The Daily-Progress. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ↑ Barber, Mike (November 28, 2023). "Virginia's Malik Washington, Jonas Sanker named first-team All-ACC". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ↑ Reuter, Chad; Zierlein, Lance. "Jonas Sanker Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Jonas Sanker College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ↑ Hudtloff, Marty (April 26, 2025). "Charlottesville's Jonas Sanker selected by New Orleans Saints in NFL draft's third round". WVIR-TV. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
- ↑ Oleszczak, Leigh (April 26, 2025). "Full details of Marshon Lattimore trade have been finalized after latest Saints pick". whodatdish.com. FanSided. Retrieved July 24, 2025.