INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The Las Vegas Raiders are fortunate to have a long line of veterans who were some of the best the football world has ever seen.
One of those legends is Hall of Famer Charles Woodson, who had solidified himself as a once-in-a-generation type college football player when the Raiders drafted him with the fourth overall pick of the 1998 NFL Draft.
Woodson is still the last Heisman Trophy winner to have served primarily as a defensive player, an honor that has stood for more than 25 years. He is the gold standard for every great college football cornerback, but at Woodson's alma mater, the University of Michigan, that ceiling means a bit more.
Former Michigan cornerback Mike Sainristil is now entering the NFL Draft fresh off a national championship, just as Woodson was back in 1998.
Sainristil said at the NFL Combine on Thursday that he and Woodson talked occasionally throughout his final collegiate season.
"Just from a leadership standpoint, he gave me a few tips on how to hold guys accountable," Sainristil said. "And just, the legacy he left at Michigan is one you want to live up to that legacy. He was a great DB, he was a great two-way guy, someone that -- what I do -- I can say I model what he did.
"I didn't get the chance to go back and play offense how he did; probably, if I did, I would have been in the same conversation as him. But just a guy like him, he means a lot to the program, means a lot to people with the athletic ability that I have."
Sainristil could follow even further in Woodson's footsteps if he were to be drafted by the Raiders next month. What a story that would be.
The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.
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