Philadelphia Eagles: Championship weekend first round mock draft
Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner might just be the most fun player in the 2022 NFL Draft.
He’s a big, long cornerback who transcended his three-star pedigree to become one of the best pure coverage men in the entire NCAA for Cincinnati, the alma mater of Connor Barwin… and Jason Kelce.
Sidebars: Okay, no more Jason Kelce talk; I promise.
Over three seasons with the increasingly successful Bearcats, Gardner developed his skill set with each passing season and finished out his run with 3.5 sacks, nine interceptions, and two defensive touchdowns, to go with 99 total tackles and 16 passes defensed.
Would you like to know what Gardner didn’t do over his run in the Buckeye state? Allow a touchdown. That’s right, despite playing hundreds of snaps over 33 games, including a high-profile Cotton Bowl bout against Alabama, Gardner didn’t allow a single touchdown through the area and stopped being targeted altogether by scared offensive coordinators.
In a way, Gardner’s game is relatively reminiscent of Darius Slay, a player he surely watched growing up in Detroit, Michigan. How would it be to pair the duo up for a few years alongside another Michigander, Avonte Maddox? I know the Eagles need a linebacker, and there could be a few solid options on the board at 19, but goodness, if Gardner somehow still sticks around to the middle of the first round, he would be an absolute steal.
And if Gardner shocks the world and runs a 40 in the 4.4s, he very well might deserve to be in consideration for selection at pick 15; he’s just that good.
To trade or not to trade Gardner Minshew. dark. Next
Who knows, next week the mock drafts machine could breed incredibly different results. There’s always a weird pick that throws the entire NFL out of wack in the first round of seemingly every draft – I’m looking at you, Marcus Smith – so there’s a chance one of these players come off the board comically high, or a better player slides down the board to pick 15. Either way, the Philadelphia Eagles have a very good chance to come away from the 2022 NFL Draft with three starting-caliber players in the first round alone, which is very cool if you ask me.