by Justin Melo
Interviews
Mike Sainristil Draft Networking Interview: 'I Want To Be A Leader'
Michigan cornerback Mike Sainristil is among the most productive, athletic, and smart prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft. A vocal leader of the Wolverines’ 2023 National Championship-winning team, Sainristil took sizable steps forward this past season. He led the team in interceptions with six while being a versatile defender who played boundary corner, in the box, and at nickel corner.
Sainristil then went to the NFL Combine and showcased high-level athleticism. The Everett, Massachusetts native ran an elite 4.01 shuttle. Sainristil also had a 40-inch vertical and 10-foot-11 broad jump.
Sainristil recently spoke exclusively with The Draft Network about winning a National Championship, making the transition from receiver to cornerback, playing multiple positions, which NFL teams are showing interest in his services, and more.
JM: You're a National Champion. What will forever be your biggest takeaway from the 2023 Michigan team?
Mike Sainristil: I think of our senior group of players that decided to stay and take one final run at winning a National Championship. That was our goal and we achieved it. That’ll forever be my biggest takeaway.
JM: What a transformation you've undergone. You were still playing receiver in 2021. You had more than 300 receiving yards and two touchdowns that year. Did that background help you acclimate to corner?
Mike Sainristil: It helped me anticipate route concepts and diagnose pre and post-snap. That receiver in me still comes out when I’m anticipating routes. I have a pretty good idea of what type of routes I might get out of certain formations offenses line up in.
We’re able to anticipate what play calls are coming. Of course, I always understand our game plan going into a game as well. That helped put me in great positions to make plays on the ball. That’s why I made the plays I was able to make.
JM: You had six interceptions this past season. If you were still testing the waters in 2022, you were completely comfortable in 2023. What led to the uptick in ball production?
Mike Sainristil: I did a lot of self-evaluation heading into that 2023 season. I watched my 2022 tape and tried to identify areas of improvement. I’m always looking for where I could get better. Once I had a better grasp on the position, I knew that playing the nickel position has to come with a natural feel.
I became a lot more comfortable with that nickel spot. I took the great coaching I was given and I ran with it. I also decided to treat this past season like a contract year. It was my final season of college football before entering the NFL draft.
I had to leave it all on the line for my teammates. I did everything I could to help my teammates and the program be successful.
JM: Your interceptions came from the slot, the boundary, and as a hybrid. Talk to me about wearing multiple hats for a defense.
Mike Sainristil: The more positional versatility you have, the better. I think it helps you understand the defense as a whole from a bird's eye view. Me being a primary nickel, I felt like if I knew what the boundary corners were doing, what the safeties and linebackers are doing, that helps me a ton from a game plan and football IQ perspective.
Having a complete understanding of our defense and its positions helped me play my nickel position better. I knew what spots I had to be in. The more you know, the slower the game is. It’s easier to make plays when the game slows down for you.
Learning multiple positions was me knowing that I could be needed at any given position on short notice. I could be needed at boundary cornerback, a position I actually played at Michigan toward the end of the season. I didn’t get many reps at safety, but I was comfortable with the position if I was needed there.
I knew the game plan and I knew the playbook. I could play wherever needed.
JM: I feel like communication, the ability to diagnose, and scrappy competitiveness are at the forefront of your makeup.
Mike Sainristil: I would definitely agree with that. Communication was one of the pillars of our Michigan defense. With me being the nickel, I was setting the defense left to right. I set the calls and pre-snap alignment.
The communication started with me. It was carried out throughout the entire back end of our defense. I was getting confirmation from the linebackers and the safeties. I always wanted to make sure we were on the same page.
A real credit goes to defensive backs and defensive passing game coordinator Steve Clinkscale who created the pillar of communication within our defense. Coach Clink was an outstanding communicator with us in the defensive backs room. He led by example.
He showed me what his expectations were for us. I wanted to be an extension of that on the field.
JM: That’s outstanding. You guys mixed man and zone coverage at such a high level too. I want to put you in a scenario. Say it's 3rd-and-long with the game on the line. Would you rather be manned up in the slot or boundary, or playing zone with a chance to make a play on the ball near the sticks?
Mike Sainristil: If it’s 3rd-and-long, I have to say zone coverage with a chance to make a play on the ball. Then again, I also want to say man coverage because I know we had a great defensive line at Michigan (laughs). We’re going to play sticky coverage on our receivers and allow our d-line to get after the quarterback.
JM: I love that. You put forth an outstanding performance at the NFL Combine. You had a 40-inch vertical and 10-foot-11 broad. Your 4.01 shuttle was elite. A 4.47 40 with a 1.51 10-yard split was very good. Were you pleased with the results?
Mike Sainristil: I definitely was. To this day, I still feel like my 5-10-5 [shuttle] could have been in the 3.9s instead of the recorded time of 4.01 (laughs). I hit a 3.8 in training, but as you said, 4.01 was still an elite time.
Everything else went great. I wanted to go out there and prove that I could run well. I was expecting to test well across the board. I didn’t surprise anybody that I was training with. I didn’t surprise myself. I knew what I was capable of.
Maybe I surprised a few scouts. I’m not sure. That’s up to them to decide. I personally knew what I was capable of doing at the NFL Combine. I’m glad I went out there and proved it to everybody else.
JM: You did just that. Speaking with teams throughout this process, where do they primarily see you playing? Are you getting more nickel than anything else?
Mike Sainristil: I’m definitely hearing more nickel than anything else, but I’ve had some boundary corner as well. A lot of teams are very aware of the positional versatility I bring to the table.
Every team I’ve spoken with feels like I can come in and compete wherever I’m needed.
JM: Your versatility pops on tape. Are your NFL team meetings going well throughout this process?
Mike Sainristil: I recently completed a visit with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It went really well. They treated me like family. I loved everything about that visit. It kinda felt like the first time I visited the Michigan campus, to be honest with you. I interpret that in a great way.
I’m going to the New England Patriots for this local day thing on April 15. I’ve had a bunch of Zoom meetings as well.
JM: There’s a lot of interest in you and it’s easy to see why. We've appreciated your time today. What kind of impact is Mike Sainristil going to make at the next level?
Mike Sainristil: I’m looking to come in and make an instant impact. I want to be an instant contributor on the defensive side of the ball. I want to be a leader amongst my peers. Through the first two years of my career, I want to become a team captain for the organization.
I feel like I’ve been a leader on every team I’ve played for and I plan on continuing that at the next level. I want to have that role. I have to put the work in first. I’m an action-first type of player.
That’s one of the things [team captain] I want to accomplish within my first two seasons. I just want to help the team be successful wherever I land. Whether that’s on defense or special teams, heck, I was even catching passes as a receiver at Pro Day (laughs).
I just want to come in and help the team be successful. The biggest goal is to win a Super Bowl. With team success comes individual success. Personal goals are allowed to be personal goals but you’ll never meet those goals unless the team is successful.