It’s that time of year when Sauce Gardner begins adding his two cents into the New York Jets’ roster decisions, and the two-time first-team All-Pro cornerback has made his first suggestion of the 2025 offseason.
Reacting to an X post that asked Jets fans how they would feel about drafting Penn State tight end Tyler Warren with the seventh overall pick, Gardner replied with his stamp of approval.
In the post, Gardner also seems to vouch for another prospect, too. Gardner says he “was thinking DT,” which likely refers to Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, who is the only defensive tackle prospect garnering legitimate buzz in the top seven.
Warren is coming off a mind-boggling season as a pass catcher. He led Power 4 tight ends with 104 receptions in 2024, 31 more than the closest player and more than double all but five players. He also ranked first in receiving yards (1,230), receiving touchdowns (8), yards after catch (693), and missed tackles forced (19) while placing second in contested catches (13).
If selected by the Jets at No. 7, Warren would become the highest-drafted tight end since Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts in 2021 (No. 4). He would also be the highest-drafted tight end in Jets history, surpassing Jerome Barkum (1972) and Kyle Brady (1995), who were both selected ninth overall.
Considering the Jets’ best tight end under contract for the 2025 season is Jeremy Ruckert, who has zero career touchdowns and is a subpar blocker, the tight end position is a massive need for the Jets. The question that will be beaten into the ground over the next two months is whether that justifies taking a tight end – viewed as a “non-premium” position – with the seventh overall pick.
We will have more clarity on the matter after witnessing what the Jets do with the position in free agency. The less they solidify the position through the veteran market, the more plausible it is that New York targets Warren in the first round.
Whoever the Jets end up selecting, Gardner will be tasked with providing a valuable leadership presence to that player. Now advancing into the “veteran” stage of his career, Gardner will be looked toward as a mentor for incoming young players. He knows what it’s like to face the pressure of being a top-10 draft pick in the New York market.
In the face of that intense scrutiny, Gardner rose to the occasion better than any young player in Jets history, starting his career with back-to-back first-team All-Pro appearances. It can be argued that he had the most successful start to a career in the history of New York City-area professional sports.
While Gardner took a step back in the 2024 season, he still played at a solid level. His goal in 2025 is to return to elite status. In his quest to do so, he must lead the team’s young players by example, showing them how to fight back when squared off with adversity.
Based on Gardner’s post, he wouldn’t mind if his path back to stardom is aided by daily one-on-one matchups in practice with the uber-talented Tyler Warren.
