New York Jets fans have to be intrigued by what Sauce Gardner did in Indianapolis
With the NFL Scouting Combine in full swing out in the heart of Indiana, New York Jets fans are primarily fixated upon the performances of prospects who are in play for the team with one of its two first-round picks in the 2022 NFL draft (4th and 10th overall).
University of Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner has quickly developed into one of the most popular candidates to be selected by New York with either one of its two first-rounders. Gardner, who did not allow a touchdown in his collegiate career, is considered by many to be the best cornerback prospect in this draft class.
Anyone who has watched Gardner’s film already knew that he possessed an outstanding blend of size and athleticism before he stepped onto the field at Lucas Oil Stadium. But Gardner’s measurements and times in Indy confirmed just how unique of a prospect he really is.
Here are Gardner’s official measurements at the combine:
- Height: 6026 (6’2¾”)
- Weight: 190
- Arm length: 33½”
- Wingspan: 79⅜”
- Hand size: 9⅝”
Combine measurements are important considering how often schools tend to inflate the height and weight of their players. Gardner quelled any doubts by confirming his incredible length at the combine, coming close to 6-foot-3 and showing off his 33.5-inch arms.
For reference, an arm length of 33.5 inches ranks at the 97th percentile among cornerbacks measures in the history of the combine.
Okay, so Gardner is lengthy. We knew that.
Here’s where Gardner put himself over the top as a truly never-before-seen prospect: the combination of his aforementioned length and his blazing speed.
While carrying around one of the largest frames you’ll see at the cornerback position, Gardner clocked a jaw-dropping official time of 4.41 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
That time is downright historic for a cornerback of Gardner’s size. According to data from Pro Football Reference’s combine archives, Gardner’s 4.41 time is the fastest ever for a cornerback who stands at least 6-foot-2 with an arm length of at least 33.5 inches and a wingspan of at least 79 inches.
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Could Gardner have just strengthened his case to be the Jets’ selection with the fourth overall pick?
We still have a long way to go until draft day (53 days, to be exact), so it’s too early to make any declarations about how the board may fall, but there is no doubt that Gardner’s combine numbers will have his stock soaring throughout the next few weeks.
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Mike, do you have any thoughts on the other CBs? I haven’t read anything about their combine winners and losers.
I’m going to get an article up on this soon actually!
Edge and CB or Edge and WR is the way to go for me in top ten. Nania you asked me why Kair Elam over McCreary a while back and I hope the Combine showed why. McCreary was excellent in the drills and I loved him. But Elam at almost 6’2″ and running a 4.39 40 is just an elite athlete and if we believe we can get him late 1st early 2nd instead of Sauce who I love, that may be a good move if it allows them to get a Top WR instead if they feel that is the way to go.
Every CB in the NFL gets smoked without a pass rush. Edge and OT in the 1st or GTFOH.
I’ve seen lot of opinions going either way on other boards/apps, so I’m curious how the community here feels about our picks at four and ten. And I’ve really enjoyed the well written content coming from the team here, so I’m curious where they stand if they are to weigh in.
Personally I think it’s Edge at four if KT or Hutch are available, and if not it’s Ekwonu, and then Neal. And I have a feeling that JD/Saleh are of the same thinking at four.
At ten it’s obviously a lot more interesting. I’ve been high on Sauce for a while and up until now it felt like he would be there at ten – maybe even a “reach” to some. At this point, I’m going to say it’s very doubtful he even lasts until ten.
With the way I perceive JD/Saleh’s philosophy that you build from the trenches and don’t need a Revis at CB combined with what we’ve seen from young QBs paired with a stud WR… I’m thinking that at ten we pretty much have our pick of any WR in the draft and we draft our guy. I really like London at ten with his size, hands, and speed. I think having a WR who has the body control he does to high point the pass does a lot for Zach – saw someone mention that we severely lack a receiver who does this (which I agree) and that a lot of the success at BYU were contested jump balls from Zach that his WR went up and got.
Glad you enjoy our stuff!
I’m taking a little bit of a wait-and-see approach regarding what they’ll do in the first round. Want to see what happens in free agency/trade market first. If they make a big signing at guard, I think OL is off the table in the top 10. If not, it’s definitely in the mix, particularly with Ekwonu (who I like much more than Neal – I’m not a fan of taking Neal at 4, I don’t think he is a great fit to move inside to guard and overall I’m just not super impressed with his game, at least not enough to take him top 5 and ask him to change positions)
I agree that I think if Thibs or Hutch falls to 4 then they’re the pick for sure. That’s one thing that feels easy to say right now since I doubt they make a big EDGE move pre-draft. If both of them are off the board, then I think considering the depth at EDGE in the first round with guys like Johnson, Ojabo, Karlaftis, and Walker, I could see them feeling confident about the edge rushers they can get at 10 and bypassing it until then, instead turning their attention at #4 to either OL (Ekwonu is the only player worthy of 4 in my opinion, and again I think it’s only on the table if they do not address G beforehand) or Sauce, who seems to be making himself a very real candidate to go top-5.
As for WR, I think it will absolutely be in the mix at 10 IF they do not address WR before the draft. If they make a big signing or trade at WR then I think it’s off the table in the first round. And I think there is a decent chance they do make this type of move. Feels like if you want to support your QB going into Year 2, it’s more reliable to bet on a proven NFL player than a rookie who might take years to hit his ceiling if he ever pans out at all. So I think there is a decent chance they make a big move for a WR pre-draft, taking the position off the board in the first round.
And I agree on London. Love his blend of tools. Not just a stereotypical big guy who catches jump balls but struggles in other areas. Great route runner and YAC player.
LB is probably the wild card here. Maybe Dean enters the conversation at 10. But if they do not address EDGE by the time they’re on the clock at 10, I have a hard time seeing them bypass it in that spot.
Hey Michael, thanks for the reply and the work you put in. I’m just scratching the surface of the analytics stuff you’re putting out, but I can say I’m a big fan so far.
Obviously a lot of this is speculation before free agency. I do like that you highlighted the proven WR piece versus drafting a guy. I know it feels like commonplace with what we saw with Jefferson in Minnesota and Chase in Cincinnati, but those are the exceptions not the rule.
With that being said, who do you think is a realistic get for us? I don’t think Cooper comes to NY with where we are at for truly contending (and I’m not sure his drama sits well in the locker room). I love the idea of ARob, but can’t help think he might be losing a step and wants to play for a contender. I hope Ridley is alright, but can’t help but feel concerned about the question mark surrounding him. Adams feels like he’s going back to GB. So… who exactly does that leave? Godwin?
You bring up good points, it will definitely be hard to pull off. Not many options, a lot of competition for those options, and not all are locks to leave their teams.
I do believe they’ll be aggressive in this market but we know Douglas will not overpay. So we’ll have to see. There is a decent shot they go into the draft still needing a WR, leaving it very much in play at 10.
If Ridley had no off-field questions I think he’d be the guy, and they’d make an aggressive trade offer. He checks so many boxes they’re missing (I did an article on it, you should check it out.) But with the uncertainty it makes things tough. Got to be sure he is good to go. I think the Jets will do as much due diligence as they can and if they can be certain about him – big if – they’ll make a play.
Godwin could end up being the best option in free agency. I did a breakdown on him as well. If he leaves TB I do think the Jets will be in on him.
Cooper is interesting. I did not think a trade for him was likely for the Jets because of Cooper’s cap hit but if he gets released that changes the whole game. He will have a lot of suitors, though.
I know Douglas is a line in the sand kind of guy but I do believe this is a situation that calls for some added aggression. Zach’s second year is not something that can be messed around with. Got to give him the absolute best you can get. So it will be very interesting to see if JD is willing to go all-out or if he will be comfortable with forgoing WR until the draft and relying on a rookie to make an immediate impact.
Douglas did show a willingness to be aggressive on the trade market for QB support with his AVT trade in the draft last year. That was an overpay on the trade chart but it was worth it because it supplements the QB. We’ll see if he’ll do that for the WR position on the veteran trade block.
OL isn’t off the table with a FA G signing. Fant is an average Jag who filled in nicely and might continue to develop. Becton is an injured and unmotivated player who can not be counted on at the moment. Either way a LT or RT transition in 2023 is a real possibility.
Ignoring OT in rd 1 of 2022 is like begging for you to have no OTs in 2023 when Fants contract is up and Mekhi checks out.
Or we can keep ignoring foundational pieces like OT and Edge and draft S, DT, ILB, CB like we always do. Which gets us….here. Again.
My top 4 rn is Aidan, Ikem, Neal, Cross. I don’t think those 3 OTs make it to 10, so unless we can get the top rated pass rusher, it’s likely OT for me at 4. I also think KT is fugazi. How can you have that much talent and not be dominant? I’ll roll the dice on who makes it to 10 out of Ojabo, Jermaine, Cameron … and maybe Walker (not sure if he’s going to be a true edge guy or not and move inside on passing downs)
If all those guys are gone…London and Burks round out the choices for me.
But the Same Old Jets??? Get ready for Hamilton and Stingley to be the picks. Womp, womp.
Not that I think Hamilton or Stingley are going to be bad pros (I do have a little concern with Stingley, and prefer Sauce as I mentioned), I would be pretty bummed if you’re right and that’s what we draft at 4 & 10.
As much as I have faith and high expectations for our current GM and Coach because I feel like they “get it” and have a shared plan and vision for the team… drafting S and CB with two top ten picks would definitely feel like my most hated phrase of “same old Jets”. It also would feel very off brand for JD and Saleh who constantly talk about building from the trenches, and yet they decide to not fortify those trenches?
Respectfully, I’m hoping that your wrong and we get ourselves a stud Edge rusher. I happen to like KT and don’t believe the smoke that he “took plays off” or is lazy or whatever. Again, I have faith (suddenly typing this out makes me think maybe I have too much faith?) that Saleh can motivate his players to get them running high and to be the best player they can… so I would be very interested to see what he can do with KT.
Only time will tell.
Not sure if he’ll be there at 10 but Stingley will. I don’t think they take either. OL and Edge.