Jonas Sanker is making the move from safety to the STAR position this offseason, and his former teammate Alontae Taylor has one major piece of advice for him at the position: take risks. Taylor obviously played STAR for the New Orleans Saints just last year, but the similarities with Sanker go a little deeper than that. Taylor also had to move inside in his sophomore campaign.
Taylor was an outside corner, but it was a position change nonetheless. Having played multiple positions, Taylor made it clear when sitting down with Tyrann Mathieu, “that slot is different, bro.”
Maybe Sanker’s transition will be different because he played in the slot frequently at Virginia. The Saints will need the acclimation period to be brief because of how vital the position is to the defense.
Jonas Sanker becoming a playmaker is priority number one at his new position
Brandon Staley has spoken about the value of the position before, and Taylor is reiterating that same sentiment. "That STAR position, that’s the one that makes that defense run, and Coach Staley preached that to me over and over and over," Taylor told Mathieu.
It's essentially a premium position for the Saints in the same way that edge rusher and cornerback is. Staley can give Sanker the keys to playing the position, but Taylor can give him the first hand experience that Staley can't. Ironically, that advice means not listening to Staley sometimes.
"You’re going to have to take some chances. Can’t just sit there and coach say ‘go left’ and you go left every time. Sometimes you might have to bust that right," Taylor said. "I think if he takes those chances and just gives himself grace and plays with a little bit of swagger, he’ll be able to make a couple plays."
Being a risk taker and gambling from time to time tends to be what separates good and great players. The instincts to know you may have to go away from what you're supposed to do, and succeed in the deviation, is what makes players special. It's also Taylor's biggest key to success at the position.
Taylor is encouraging Sanker to lean into those instincts, while also understanding it isn't going to work every time. That's where the grace comes in play for the times it doesn't work. Overall, Sanker is going to have to be a playmaker in this new role, and he's shown an ability to be that already.
Sanker's interception in the preseason against the Jaguars and his plays on ball against the Bills show the ability is there. At STAR, he'll have to show those flashes more frequently and show that playmaking ability near the line of scrimmage as a run defender and pass rusher.
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