Addressing another strong need, the Buffalo Bills selected South Carolina DT TJ Sanders with the 41st pick overall. This came via a trade with the Bears which allowed the Bills to move up and secure a third round pick in the process.
Sanders was a late bloomer, picking the sport back up during his junior year of high school before parlaying his success into being recruited to South Carolina. He was a two-year starter that brought a lot of juice and versatility to the middle of the defensive line. Sanders will look to bring his ability to play all over the defensive line to Buffalo to help provide the pressure necessary in the playoffs.
Below is TJ Sanders publicly reported injury history and analysis.
Injury History
2021 South Carolina
No publicly reported injuries.
2022 South Carolina
Undisclosed injury, vs Georgia, missed 1 game.
Sanders missed the contest against Charlotte after playing the prior week against Georgia. There are not any details as to why he missed.
2023 South Carolina
Shoulder injury, vs Tennessee, missed 0 games.
Sanders was forced to miss the second half of the contest against Tennessee due to a shoulder injury along with cramps. He was observed wearing a right shoulder harness during this game and was not previously against Mississippi State. However, it’s not clear whether this was the shoulder injured.
2024 South Carolina
Ankle injury, spring practices.
Sanders rolled his ankle on the very first play of the Garnet and Black scrimmage in April of 2024. This appears to be a low ankle sprain that likely did not hamper him for long.
Foot injury, vs LSU, missed 0 games.
Sanders suffered a foot injury in the second half of the game versus LSU and was unable to finish the contest.
Buffalo Bills Injury Analysis
TJ Sanders plays in the trenches. He’s going to get dinged up here and there. He only missed one game and it’s not even certain that this was due to injury.
Looking at everything overall, the foot and ankle injuries aren’t all that concerning. The ankle was a low ankle sprain after he rolled it during a game. The foot injury appears minor in that he was able to play the following week and there was generally a lack of information.
His shoulder injury may be the biggest concern due to the fact that he had to wear a shoulder harness. However, the harness may have also been used to protect his dominant arm during swim moves and tackling. This is further evident in that he wore it often after the Tennessee game and into 2024. Unless there was specific information as to what he did to the shoulder, there aren’t many long-term concerns as he played through the injury just fine.
Final Thoughts
The Bills selected a versatile big man to clog up the middle if needed or he has the ability to create pressure in the backfield. They know how they want to deploy him and he carries very few injury concerns as he enters the NFL.
His selection follows a strong trend of avoiding major injury concerns in Round 1 and 2 which will allow the players to hit the ground running. Sanders may not be the sexiest name out there, but he’s healthy and productive.
I would like to wish TJ Sanders a warm welcome to the city of Buffalo and to remain healthy this season.
Top Photo Credit: Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images
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