The 2024 NFL Scouting Combine is now underway in Indianapolis, and teams are meeting with players to decide who they want to pick in the upcoming NFL draft. On the flip side, prospects are also figuring out who and where they would most like to play, and Texas tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders has made no secret that he wants to play for Mike McDaniel and the Miami Dolphins.
“It was great meeting (Dolphins head coach) Mike McDaniel,” Sanders said of the coach, per USA Today. “You know how you see him on TV? He’s a really cool guy, laid-back guy. He’s like that in person. It was a great experience meeting him and talking to him. I would love to be in [the Dolphins’ system]. I would have success. They would set me up for success. I would love to be a Miami Dolphin.”
Ja’Tavion Sanders is a 6-foot-4, 243-pound TE who spent three seasons in Austin. In his last two seasons as a starter, he put up 99 catches for 1,295 yards and scored seven touchdowns. Heading into the NFL draft, nearly every ranking has Sanders as the No. 2 TE prospect, only behind Georgia’s Brock Bowers.
While nothing will allow Sanders to surpass Bowers in the build-up to the draft, a good showing at the NFL combine could help Sanders’ draft stock. The Texas tight end is currently a borderline second or third-round pick. If he impresses with his athleticism in Indy, he could solidify his second-round status.
And where will he go in the second?
Well, there is an AFC East team that has tight end as one of its biggest draft needs and picks at No. 55. So, La’Tavion Sanders might end up with Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins after all.
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