College football analyst Brady Quinn likes a lot of players in the 2024 NFL Draft, but one stands out as his current favorite.
In a recent video for the NFL on CBS , Quinn said that his favorite player this year is Michigan defensive back Mike Sainristil. He highlighted Sainristil’s time as a wide receiver and how he’s transitioned into being an elite college defensive back who should translate his skills well to the NFL.
“Mike Sainristil is my favorite player in this year’s draft…” Quinn said. “He decided to move full-time to defensive back in 2022 and never looked back. He possesses a tremendous athleticism and football IQ. He diagnoses plays out on the perimeter and provides quick run support or stymies wide receiver screens and space. His background at wide receiver helps him to pattern match and play the ball, equating to seven interceptions the past two seasons – six this past season, two going for touchdowns. Even though he’s small in stature, Sainristil plays as physical as any player on the field. He’s the ultimate competitor and it’s noticeable on tape. Sainristil reminds me most of Mike Hilton, currently playing nickel back for the Cincinnati Bengals… Both are disruptive in pass game coverage, but capable of setting edges and creating plays behind the line of scrimmage in the run game.”
Sainristil earned First-team All-American and All-Big Ten honors in 2023 and was the MVP of the Big Ten Championship Game en route to winning a national title with the Wolverines.
Unfortunately, his relative lack of experience in the position might be a detriment to his draft stock if he’s intent on playing cornerback in the NFL. He didn’t exactly blow people away at the Combine either.
Different analysts have wildly different views on how good he is as a prospect and when he might get drafted in April.
But if you like cornerbacks with a lot of promise from a system that can develop defenders well, Sainristil might just fit the bill.