Scouts from nearly all 32 NFL franchises spent the afternoon at the George Welsh Indoor Practice Facility for the Virginia Football Pro Day on Tuesday (March 18). The main event was UVA safety Jonas Sanker, who looked to make some more good impressions on the NFL personnel in attendance following his solid performances at the NFL Combine a few weeks ago, but several other former Virginia football players also participated in UVA’s Pro Day, including tight end Tyler Neville, wide receiver Chris Tyree, defensive back Corey Thomas Jr., defensive end Chico Bennett Jr., defensive tackle Aaron Faumui, and long-snapper Payton Bunch.
A native of Charlottesville, Sanker appeared in 43 games and logged 33 starts over the last four seasons at Virginia, finishing his collegiate career with 273 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, 19 passes defended, and four forced fumbles. Sanker was named a First-Team All-ACC selection in each of his final two seasons at UVA.
Now, Sanker is looking to become the next Cavalier to hear his name called at the NFL Draft. He was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, where he ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash (which ranked 7th among safeties at the Combine), recorded 10’8″ in the broad jump (tied for 3rd among safeties), posted a 36.5″ vertical jump (7th among safeties), and clocked a 1.51-second 10-yard split (tied for 3rd among safeties).
“I was a little disappointed with my 40, but overall, at the end of the day, all the hard work paid off, and I was still able to go out there and put on a good show,” Sanker said of his performance at the NFL Scouting Combine.
At UVA’s Pro Day on Tuesday, Sanker’s primary objective was to continue to show his consistency in fundamentals through various defensive back drills as well as his endurance, as Sanker was the lone defensive back participating in those drills, which meant fewer and shorter breaks between attempts.
“I feel like I did a good job.” Sanker said after Tuesday’s Pro Day. “A different challenge today – not having a lot of DBs – so being challenged rep after rep to show how resilient I am and show the type of player I am.”
Sanker said he has a visit with the Carolina Panthers coming up soon and is hoping to schedule a few more visits in the coming weeks ahead of the NFL Draft. Watch the video below to hear everything Sanker had to say about the Scouting Combine, UVA’s Pro Day, and the entire NFL Draft process:
Sanker isn’t the only Cavalier gaining traction before the NFL Draft. Chris Tyree drew an audible reaction from those present for the Pro Day after he recorded a mark of 42 inches on the vertical jump, which would have the been the best mark by any wide receiver at the NFL Combine and second-best by any player who attended the Combine. Additionally, Tyler Neville reported that he has visits lined up with the Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks as part of a West Coast trip next week.
The 2025 NFL Draft will be held Thursday April 24th-Saturday, April 26th at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
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