Mike Sainristil excited to be with Commanders, thought he'd go to Steelers

New Washington Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil thought he would be drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft. Instead, Washington, which acquired the No. 50 overall pick from the Philadelphia Eagles in a trade-down, selected Sainristil one pick ahead of the Steelers at No. 51.

Sainristil couldn’t be any happier.

“I thought I was going to the Steelers at 51,” Sainristil said Friday. “But I felt my phone vibrating, I looked down, and there was a Virginia number. I’m like, ‘man, who the heck from Virginia’s calling me right now.’ I pick up the phone and right away, my heart was just, I felt at ease. I felt at peace. My mind was finally at peace. When I met with Coach (Dan) Quinn here in Michigan, the meeting we had, everything about it was good. The vibes were great. I could just tell how every coach that was in there was speaking. They had a genuine love and appreciation for myself, and it was definitely reciprocated. I felt that was a meeting that I left feeling very, very comfortable. And I appreciated the conversation that the coaches had with me. And I’m just very excited to get to Washington and get the ball rolling.”

The Commanders apparently left that meeting and felt they had to have Sainristil.

Sainristil woke up excited to be a Commanders on Saturday morning.

Sainristil immediately becomes Washington’s top option at slot cornerback. There will be no waiting period for him as he is ready to step in and make an impact immediately for the Commanders.