John Saunders Jr.
| No. 23 – New England Patriots | |
|---|---|
| Position | Safety |
| Roster status | Active |
| Personal information | |
| Born | October 24, 2001 High Point, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 211 lb (96 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | High Point Christian |
| College | Miami (OH) (2020–2022) Ole Miss (2023–2024) |
| NFL draft | 2025: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
John Saunders Jr. (born October 24, 2001) is an American professional football safety for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Saunders played college football for the Miami RedHawks and Ole Miss Rebels. He signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2025.
Early life
Saunders Jr. was born in High Point, North Carolina and attended High Point Christian Academy.[1] Coming out of high school he committed to play college football for the Miami RedHawks.[2]
College career
Miami (OH)
From 2020 to 2022, Saunders Jr. attended Miami University.[1]
Ole Miss
In 2023, he transferred to Ole Miss.[3]
He finished the 2024 season, totaling 47 tackles with one and a half being for a loss, five pass deflections, and three interceptions.[4]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+3⁄8 in (1.89 m) |
211 lb (96 kg) |
32+1⁄8 in (0.82 m) |
9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
6 ft 5+1⁄2 in (1.97 m) |
4.57 s | 1.61 s | 2.69 s | 4.32 s | 6.81 s | 37.0 in (0.94 m) |
10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) |
14 reps |
| All values from Pro Day[5][6] | ||||||||||||
Miami Dolphins
After not being selected in the 2025 NFL draft, Saunders signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent.[7] He was released during the preseason with the Dolphins, but later signed to the team's practice squad after final roster cuts.[8][9]
New England Patriots
On October 30, 2025, Saunders was signed off the Dolphins' practice squad to the New England Patriots' active roster.[10][11][12] Saunders was released from the Patriots on November 17 and re-signed to the practice squad two days later.[13][14]
On February 11, 2026, Saunders signed a reserve/futures contract with New England.[15]
References
- ^ a b "John Saunders Jr. - Football". Ole Miss Athletics - Hotty Toddy. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
- ^ Berry, Zach. "Miami (Ohio) CB John Saunders to officially visit Ole Miss". On3.com. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ Berry, Zach. "Miami (Ohio) cornerback John Saunders commits to Ole Miss". On3.com. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ Kyed, Doug. "Source: Patriots plan to sign rookie safety away from AFC East rival". Boston Herald. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ "John Saunders Jr. College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
- ^ "John Saunders Jr. RAS". RAS.Football. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
- ^ Crabbs, Kyle. "One of the Dolphins' AFC East rivals just traded away a highly paid defender but it's actually going to cost Miami a player, too". A to Z Sports. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ Comeaux, Jonathan. "Patriots Planning To Sign S John Saunders Jr. Off Dolphins' Practice Squad". NFL Trade Rumors. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ Stites, Adam. "Patriots to poach safety off Dolphins practice squad to replace traded Kyle Dugger". Dolphins Wire. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ Cormier, Evan. "Patriots Steal Exciting Rookie Safety From Rival Practice Squad". Heavy Sports. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ Alper, Josh. "Patriots to sign S John Saunders off of Dolphins practice squad". NBC Sports. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ "Patriots Trade S Kyle Dugger to Pittsburgh Steelers; Sign S John Saunders Jr. to 53-Man Roster Off Miami Dolphins Practice Squad". Patriots.com. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
- ^ "Patriots Make a Series of Transactions". Patriots.com. November 17, 2025. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
- ^ "Patriots Sign S John Saunders Jr. to the Practice Squad". Patriots.com. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ "Patriots Sign 11 Players to Futures Contracts". Patriots.com. February 10, 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.