Sauce Gardner needs to be a realistic option for the New York Jets at No. 4
While we have discussed many “trench” prospects for the New York Jets—in both edge rushers and offensive lineman—the depth chart desperately needs playmakers on both sides of the ball.
And although both Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh are heavily committed to building from the inside-out, the 2022 NFL draft presents a unique opportunity for the organization—especially with the Jets ready to pick fourth and 10th.
Enter Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, who has seemingly grabbed a hold of the CB1 spot in the 2022 NFL draft. And enter Sauce Gardner not only for the Jets to consider at No. 10 but No. 4 as well.
The full Sauce Gardner film breakdown is free to all readers and available at the bottom of this article.
Is Gardner worth the hype? Is he a real option for the Jets at the top of the draft? Where does he stack up vs some of the other prospects we have reviewed?
All of this and more is discussed in this edition of Blewett’s Blitz, where over one hour and twenty minutes of Sauce Gardner’s collegiate game film is analyzed.
Sauce Gardner YouTube film clip and podcast episode
Sauce Gardner’s Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- Overall athleticism
- Size at 6-foot-3
- Eats up space pre-snap when in press
- Fluidity for size
- Aggressive
- Plays ball well
- Thrives in press
- Awareness
- Speed
- Plays shuffle/bail well
- Length (33+ inch arms)
- Quickness
- Willing tackler and fitter in the run game
- Stays square overall
- Gets shuffles in while in press
- Seems to love football
- Does not rely on the same technique every rep
- Quick hands
- Lateral movement
- Plays both aggressive and soft press
- Played both sides of the field and some reps in the slot
- Seems to be a good communicator
- Patient feet
- Patient hands
- Flexible
- Solid drive on the ball for size
- Uses sideline well/squeezes
- Is aware of other threats outside his assignment when playing zone
- Physical enough to blitz
- Fight to maintain contact during route stem
- Eyes low pre-snap
- Smooth hip transitions
- Fights to have hands-on during reps
- Shows reps of alternating hands in coverage
Weaknesses
- Lanky, light for height
- Needs work on tackling technique
- Can be slightly grabby
- Want to see more knee bend pre-snap
- Hands can be low/drop
- Could read/anticipate breaks better
- Can look back to quarterback too early while not tight in man assignment
- Zone turn can look into backfield too much and lose track of WR
- Can work to re-route in cloud assignment
- Has to be careful shooting two hands from a distance
