GENERAL MANAGER DAVID CALDWELL
(On Ace Sanders) "Yeah, that's what we were excited about. He's an extremely reliable receiver, his hands are excellent, this guy makes more third downs, and his punt return average I believe was 15.3 in the SEC and just in terms of his hands are really exceptional in terms of being able to catch the ball on a down in down out basis."
(Strictly an outside receiver?) "He can play both and he played both at South Carolina, so he can play inside in the slot and he can play at outside receiver too."
(Not concerned with the five foot seven size?) "No we talked a lot about it with Coach Fisch and Coach Sullivan and they like it. They like the idea of having a guy that's really quick and sudden and has excellent separation quickness."
(He didn't run a great time at the Combine. Is he faster than that?) "Yeah. When you time the 4.58 at the Combine and you watch the game film his quickness is electric. This guy's got serious juice in terms of his ability to get off the mark and to separate in a short area. The time speed is what it is but the video shows that this guy can get behind defenders in the SEC and run away from guys in the SEC, as you guys have seen."
(All four of these first guys of having a clear role when they get here?) "Yeah, absolutely and we look for guys who have defined roles when they come in for sure, but this is another clear case where the guy loves football, that's highly competitive, that's a tough kid and has been extremely reliable there at South Carolina."
(Was this a player that had you not made the trade would have been gone by the time you picked?) "That was one of our concerns. To be honest with you we were sitting there and I told you guys if Dwayne Gratz came off the board and we kind of got shut out of the corner position this was maybe a player we would have gone into in the third round."
(When did Philly first call?) "They called last night."
(Was it done last night?) "No. We were fielding other offers and seeing what else people were willing to give up and that was really the best offer."
(On a lot of trades today) "Yeah it looks that way. It always is on day two."
(In fourth and fifth round you mentioned you're looking at role guys) "Yeah, absolutely. Role guys, it's at nickel corner, slot receiver and a situational defensive pass rusher or something along those lines. Some of those players may turn into starters at some point down the road too."
WR/PR ACE SANDERS
(How did you get the name Ace?) "I'm a junior so when I was born my dad gave me that name instead of calling me Junior because I was his first born. Instead of calling me Junior he called me Ace from birth."
(Do you know how he chose Ace?) "No. He's standing right here. Let me ask him... He said he can't even think right now he's filled with emotion right now. I think it was just a name that popped into his head and he was just like, 'that's my Ace, my firstborn son,' and he just stuck with it and we just ran with it from there."
(How much do you think you can produce as a punt returner right away?) "I can produce a lot but I guess it depends on everybody around me. Like I said, my team at South Carolina it wasn't just me out on the field it was a whole team effort. As long as I've got people that have enough confidence in me as much as I have in myself and that will go out there and give me a hundred percent just like I give them, then I believe it will be fine."
(Why did you do a last minute swap and decide to enter the draft?) "This is a long process of thinking, like you said it took me all the way down to the fifteenth, the last day to declare. It was just me on that long drive home. I was actually leaving Bradenton (Florida) driving back up to South Carolina to go to school and I was just thinking the whole trip on all of the information I got back. The only thing I could change from my draft spot by next year would be my size and I'm not going to get any taller, so there was no point in going back and putting more wear and tear on my body before the draft next year and for it to be the same spot."
(What did you run in your forty at your pro day?) "I heard a group of times so I was never really sure. I never got an official time. I never really looked at it. At pro day I just wanted to be positive and get through everything as smooth and make it look as easy as possible."
(Are you faster than four-five?) "Yes sir. I believe I'm faster than four-five. When I watch my game film I don't know, but I believe I am."
(Is it tough not to be taken before the last day of the draft?) "Honestly it has all just been a blessing. I am just happy to be off the board and at the end of the day that's what a lot of people wish for just to be off the board. Like you said, you've still got people in there just sitting there waiting still and playing the same game I was going. I just tell them to keep their head up and know that everything's going to be okay. It doesn't matter where I got picked at as long as I got picked."
(Did you talk to the Jaguars before you got drafted?) "I talked to them at the Combine and I talked to them at my pro day. I got a couple of calls from them clarifying some draft days about where my whereabouts was going to be, phone numbers and stuff, but it caught me really off guard. I'm really excited about it."
(What makes you an effective punt returner?) "I attack the defense like the first step I'm going north and south. I'm not an east and west runner on punt returner, I get the yards that's needed and I really just try to flip the field and just give the offense a better field position. I'll go at it relentlessly with no fear and just try to make a play."
(Do you consider yourself a receiver who's a punt returner or a punt returner who's a receiver?) "Definitely a receiver who's a punt returner. A lot of people have not really gotten time to see me really excel as a slot receiver, but I know my ability and everything. With the right coaching and the right system I can really excel as a slot receiver as well as a punt returner."
(Are you in Bradenton today?) "Yes sir."
(Were you recruited by Florida or Florida State at all?) "Yes sir. I was recruited by all the schools in Florida."
(Why South Carolina?) "I had a scholarship offer to the University of Miami and I didn't take that one. At Florida, they recruited me but they never offered me a scholarship and Florida State was the same way. Coach Bobby Bowden got fired and after that it was just South Carolina had recruited me since my sophomore year. They showed me interest since my sophomore year in high school so it's been one of those things that's stuck around the whole time, so they really showed interest. So it's like why not go play in the SEC for Coach Spurrier?"
(When you ran the forty at the combine were you disappointed in that?) "Yeah, I was disappointed but at the end of the day it all comes down to football. My forty time was that, I had to deal with it. I couldn't let it keep me down and affect the rest of my day at the Combine, so I just put it behind me and just kept moving."