Name: Mike Sainristil
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 182 lbs.
High school: Everett (MA) Everett
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Senior
Jersey number: #0
Last year: I ranked Sainristil #26 and said he would be a starting slot receiver with 25 catches for 330 yards and 3 touchdowns (LINK). He caught 22 passes for 312 yards and 2 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 84
Sainristil has been right on this starter/backup edge for three years running, ranked at #25 or #26. Last season I thought he would start at slot receiver, and I was only a few catches/yards off his totals, along with expecting 1 more touchdown than he actually scored. He developed into a reliable target for Cade McNamara, if only partly because Ronnie Bell tore his ACL in the season opener, creating playing time for other guy. The highlight of his season may have been the diving reception he made on a deep ball against Nebraska.
Sainristil has worn both #5 and #19 in his career, and he nabbed #0 this off-season. He's also on to playing another position: Sainristil played some nickel corner in the spring and continues to play on both sides of the ball in camp. It remains to be seen whether he will be the nickel going into the season. The receiver room is stacked and the defensive backs are talented, so I'm having a hard time gauging how integral Sainristil will be on either side of the ball. It's entirely conceivable that he fades away on one side, but I can't imagine him disappearing from both sides of the ball. He should be a pretty big factor to the team overall, but I don't expect him to be a standout either way.
Prediction: Backup wide receiver and defensive back; 18 catches for 220 yards and 2 touchdowns, 18 tackles
I don't expect much
ReplyDeleteHe's okay, but we are DEEP at receiver, and have more experience at CB than he can help with
My guess is, Saint will be an inspiration a leader. I wouldn't be shocked if he were a Captain, but that's not related to impact
At a recent presser, Bellamy said that Sainristil set the group’s standard for WR blocking. He really has gotten after it and has found a way to be a strong contributor in a similar way that Martavious Odoms did back in the RR era. Definitely a captain candidate, along with Bell (shoo-in), All and Hayes.
ReplyDelete—Joby
Good point. Always an underrated thing when we talk about freshman contributions - not just at WR but also TE and RB. Carr emphasized blocking always and Bellomy is a Carr guy, not that Harbaugh thinks any different. I think we all saw how impactful downfield blocking was to the run game last year.
DeleteSomething to consider for Clemons and other freshman this year, though Bellomy absolutely raved about Clemons interest in blocking. It sounds like the culture is strong here. Credit Gattis for putting the WR room in a good place and Bellomy seems to be keeping momentum.
Bell should be a captain? I don't picture him as a captain. I don't see him as a leader. But I suppose he would be voted in for such. All yes definitely a leader. Schoonmaker yes. Mazi Smith definitely yes . Cornelius Johnson yes .Ronnie Bell, dont really see it .But then I've never got the Ronnie Bell thing from the beginng .I think him becoming so popular was an emotional response to the Penn St TD drop, fans circling the wagons in support of him .It was noble to do .
DeleteRonnie Bell was a captain last year, and he led the team in receiving in 2019.
Delete—Joby
Not only has Bell led in Receiving, he was our most (only?) reliable guy Patterson had
Delete*Nico was good, but it was obvious that Bell was Mr Always Open
Bell had a freshman year on par with Black/DPJ/Collins trio's and then surpassed all 3 as a sophomore even though he's a year behind. Not enough TDs to make a lot of waves beyond the fanbase but he's was clearly the #1 WR again in 2020 and to start 2021.
DeleteAs far as the captain thing goes it's outsider speculation but the coaches raved about his activity and attitude while on crutches last year. He was a contributor even from the sideline.
I don't know if Bell can be a true go-to #1 that demands and sometimes defeats double teams but the substance dramatically outweighs the hype so far.
Bell got open in 2019 because the best WRs were drawing the attention of the defense.
DeleteIf that logic held true Anon, every team's third Receiver would lead the group, and defenses would adjust
DeleteBell isn't flashy, but dude gets it done
Yeah, Bell is better than DPJ and Nico Collins. The internet, yOu gOtTa lOvE iT.
DeleteNobody said that, like, anywhere or anytime
DeleteDid he lead the receiver room? Yes.
Has he had a more productive college career? Most certainly
Saying Bell is the one that gets open mean the others didnt. Come on, that clearly says hes better than them.
DeleteIf Bell was lined up against the #1 DB he would have never got open all those times.
That's all.
Wasn't he originally a DB when he came in as a freshman?
ReplyDeleteTime to eat crow. In the spring I insisted this move to D was a temporary gap-filling thing, leveraging Sainristil's leadership and experience, addressing a need for bodies in the secondary until injuries healed and freshman arrived. I was wrong and the move seems to have stuck. Though Sainristil is still playing both ways, reports are he is working about 80% in the secondary.
ReplyDeleteI'm still pretty skeptical about Sainristil having a big role on defense but acknowledge that he's in the conversation for a starting job at nickel. Frankly, if a position-switching vet is starting on this D I'll be concerned. I hope and think it's more likely he's a backup at nickel and corner. The big thing I was not considering in the spring was that McBurrows injury would last into the season.
Regardless, with everyone healthy and the freshman getting rave reviews, the WR room doesn't have much need for him, even with the solid skillset and career he has had. The TE room is also packed - so Michigan is already overflowing with choice for pass targets and downfield blockers.
Sainristil is high quality program guy. I hope he plays both ways and draws lots of cheers and has highlight plays on both sides of the ball and special teams. The non-conference schedule offers lots of opportunity for fun stuff. At the same time, I hope some younger more talent players are in ahead of him and we're not counting on him trying to cover OSU WRs in November. Tremendous credit to him for doing what is in the best interest of the team.
Tangential to Sainristil - Zach Shaw of 247 provided some interesting stats on the slot "position".
ReplyDelete"Sainristil played 224 snaps at slot (out of 239 total passing snaps), Henning played 99 (out of 107), Wilson played 50 (out of 190) and Anthony played 28 (out of 138). Meanwhile Ronnie Bell returns, and has played a healthy 66.3 percent of his 624 career passing snaps in the slot. Even if Wilson and Anthony stick primarily to out wide, Henning plays more in the backfield and Sainristil plays more snaps on defense, there's still a competition for the snaps at slot"