It’s tough to find anyone who has anything negative to say about Washington Commanders rookie cornerback Mike Sainristil.
After he was drafted on Friday, legendary head coach Nick Saban called Sainristil probably “the best pound-for-pound player in college football” last season. Saban should know as Sainristil’s Wolverines defeated Alabama 27-20 in the Rose Bowl. Sainristil had six tackles in the game.
The Wolverines played the Washington Huskies in the national championship game the following week, winning 34-13.
In that game, Sainristil was matched up with Washington wide receiver Jalen McMillan. Sainristil made a believer out of McMillan, too.
McMillan, a third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, had high praise for Sainristil.
“He was pissing me off all game,” McMillan said at the NFL combine last month, per Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News.
“He was calling out formations, calling out routes we were gonna run, lining up in zone — when, in reality, he was in man — and lining up in man … while in zone. He’s a great player.”
On Friday, the Commanders selected Sainristil at No. 50 overall, and he figures to start on Day 1 as Washington’s slot cornerback.