Getty New York Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich making a play call during an NFL contest.
Ahmad Gardner made history when he was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
He instantly became the highest drafted defender by general manager Joe Douglas during his tenure running the New York Jets. Sauce simultaneously also became the highest drafted player in Cincinnati Football history.
Although all the days of glitz and glam are over, one insider believes a reality check is coming for the talented cornerback.
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Buckle Your Seatbelt
A group of draft experts from The Athletic answered a variety of questions in a mailbag format looking ahead to training camp and the 2022 regular season.
NFL draft analyst Dane Brugler was asked which defensive rookie will have the biggest impact and he said Sauce was his guy:
“I’m going with corner Sauce Gardner, who should step in as an outside starter for the Jets from day one. College offenses stayed away from his side of the field last season, but it will be the opposite in the NFL as teams look to attack the rookie on an island. And in a division with stud receivers such as Stefon Diggs and Tyreek Hill, the Jets will need Gardner to be the playmaker they believe he is.”
In his three years with the Bearcats, Gardner was only targeted 138 times. Once he developed a reputation as a playmaking cornerback, teams started avoiding his side of the field:
- Nine interceptions
- Two touchdowns
- 99 total tackles
- 16 pass deflections
#Jets HC Robert Saleh told an amazing story about CB Ahmad Gardner (@iamSauceGardner), ‘he has this humility to him that comes with a tremendous amount of confidence that allows him to talk a lot of crap’ 🤣: 🎥 @RichEisenShow #TakeFlight #Flight2022 @GoBearcatsFB @richeisen
While all of those numbers raise eyebrows, the most impressive statistical nugget is his touchdown-less streak.
In 33 career games, the talented cornerback never gave up a touchdown. However as Brugler noted in his answer, a certain narrative is going to shift dramatically.
Once Sauce was a well-known entity in college football teams started to avoid him, but in the NFL it will be the “opposite.”
Teams are going to test Sauce early and often to figure out if the college tape was all hype or not. They will be going out of their way to attack him which should be unfamiliar territory for the lanky defender.
Madden Ratings
Interestingly that should open the door for Sauce to earn some votes in the Defensive Rookie of the Year conversation.
Only eight corners have ever walked away with the hardware in the award’s illustrious history:
- Marshon Lattimore, New Orleans Saints, 2017
- Marcus Peters, Kansas City Chiefs, 2015
- Charles Woodson, Oakland Raiders, 1998
- Dale Carter, Chiefs, 1992
- Mike Haynes, New England Patriots, 1976
- Willie Buchanon, Green Bay Packers, 1972
- Bruce Taylor, San Francisco 49ers, 1970
- Lem Barney, Detroit Lions, 1967
Sauce is tied for the sixth-best odds at +1000 with one other player (Devin Lloyd, linebacker, Jacksonville Jaguars), per Vegas Insider.
With a high volume of targets expected to come his way, Sauce will either sink or swim. He will either take advantage of those opportunities and rack up a ton of picks or his touchdown drought will end painfully.
#Jets CB Ahmad Gardner (@iamSauceGardner) accurately predicted his @EAMaddenNFL rookie rating w/ @ochocinco earning a 78 overall: 🎥 @EAMaddenNFL #Madden23 #TakeFlight @GoBearcatsFB
NFL opponents aren’t going to be the only ones not giving respect, the same goes for the Madden rating squad.
Gardner was featured in a segment where rookies had to guess what their overall Madden rating was on social media. He correctly guessed 78 but if he wants it to be ranked among the league’s best, Sauce will have to prove it on the gridiron.
If Brugler is right about the targets coming his way, the talented corner shouldn’t lack in opportunities to make his name a known commodity this season.
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NFL Teams Plan to ‘Attack’ Jets Rookie in 2022: Insider