The Kansas City Chiefs have a plethora of spots worth upgrading on their roster. Entering the 2025 season, not every area of need can be filled with a veteran option. This year’s NFL Draft will offer plenty of intriguing choices, especially in a defensive tackle class that is considered deep.
Kansas City only has Chris Jones under contract among their 2024 defensive tackles. Getting him another young running mate could boost the heart of the Chiefs’ defensive front.
With this being one of the deeper d-line classes, let alone defensive tackle groups in recent memory, there could be some value for the Chiefs to choose from in the early rounds. Kansas City has always coveted size on the defensive line. Finding enough beef from this year’s defensive tackle prospects should not be an issue. That’s especially true of a potential pick late in the first round: South Carolina’s T.J. Sanders.
What positives does Sanders offer for a team like the Chiefs? Can Kansas City rely on him against both the run and the pass?
2025 NFL Draft Profile – T.J. Sanders, IDL, South Carolina
Age: 21 (when drafted)
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 297 pounds
T.J. Sanders’ strengths
Where should you start when looking at the positives or strengths from T.J. Sanders’ game? First and foremost, his strength and power are facets he can use to take over on reps and stymie drives. This stems from the amount of power that Sanders provides in his initial punch after the snap. He is capable of getting off of blockers by simply shoving them to the side when he wants to.
Sanders also displayed a deep bag of hand counters and pass-rush moves while at South Carolina. His bull rush is incredibly impactful. The amount of push and drive that he can gain against opposing blockers is fairly consistent with his bull rush. Beyond that, Sanders has utilized swipe and rip moves to get around offensive linemen. His arm length also makes a difference with his pass rush moves. He measured in at 33 1/8″ at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Finally, the awareness that Sanders plays with is noticeable. South Carolina asked him to spy and slant to one side of the defensive line on occasion. But even when he was not asked to do so, Sanders was quick to get his eyes up and find the football. Because of that, the defender made some stops by getting his hands in throwing lanes and batting down passes. Sanders’s resistance makes him stout and difficult for blockers to redirect once he finds the football.
T.J. Sanders’ weaknesses
The size of T.J. Sanders can become a lot to handle for blockers. And once he gets around an offensive lineman, he has the closing quickness to force a hurried throw. Yet, categorizing his first step off the line of scrimmage as explosive may be a bit of a stretch. He appears more comfortable reading his opponent before attempting to shed blocks.
In addition to that lack of explosiveness in his first step, Sanders can become a bit tight and high with his pad level. He has the opportunity to gain more leverage out of his stance with NFL coaching and development. Becoming a stiff, high player really shows up when opponents perform down blocks against Sanders.
When Sanders is unable to knock a blocker back with his immense power, his feet can get stalled or choppy. This can lead to him getting walled out as a result. Sanders does not always offer the lateral quickness to match his reactionary speed.
Does T.J. Sanders Make Sense For Chiefs?
The need at defensive tackle is clear for the Chiefs. Quite frankly, they have probably needed to get younger at the defensive interior for a few years now. T.J. Sanders certainly has some parts of his game to clean up, but as a player who did not start playing until his junior year of high school, he should have plenty of room to grow and develop in the NFL.
Sanders can still impact the run and the pass game, despite those areas of improvement. His ability to plug and penetrate gaps allows him to eat up space as a run defender. Meanwhile, the combination of pass rush moves and power may be his best source of production early on in the NFL. With Sanders being able to offer different pass rush plans to get around blockers, he has a chance to increase a team’s amount of pressures and hurries.
The Chiefs should surely have interest in a defensive tackle who can make plays on all three downs. Kansas City will also be a fan of his length, heavy hands, and dense build. Those traits have been staples of defensive linemen Steve Spagnuolo has utilized over the years, and it could be the traits they rely on in years to come.