Philadelphia Eagles: Sauce Gardner might not even be there at 15

Unless Steven Nelson shocks the world and makes his way back to the City of Brotherly Love for a second season of action, the Philadelphia Eagles are going to be in the market for a new CB2 this spring.

Could that player come in free agency? You bet. There are a ton of intriguing options potentially set to hit the market, from J.C. Jackson to Stephon Gilmore, Patrick Peterson, and Xavier Rhodes, who would look darn good paired up with Darius Slay and Avonte Maddox.

Theoretically, the Eagles could also address the position via trade, as they did last summer when they acquired Josiah Scott from the Jacksonville Jaguars. Granted, Scott was unable to beat out Maddox for a starting spot, which is understandable, but securing a former fourth round pick for Jameson Houston and a 2023 sixth-round pick is good value.

But realistically, the Philadelphia Eagles are going to enter the 2022 NFL Draft with a need for another high-end secondary playmaker, maybe even two if you factor in the safety position. Fortunately, there should be a few intriguing options for Howie Roseman to choose from when the ticker hits 15, 16, and 19. Unfortunately, one of those players probably won’t be Cincinnati’s Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, who just turned in a show-stopping performance at the combine.

Sauce Gardner would be a steal for the Philadelphia Eagles at 15.

Coming into the combine, Sauce Gardner was drawing comparisons to Richard Sherman, who, as you may or may not know, is a future Hall of Famer.

Understandably, that is a very tough hurdle to clear, as for a time, Sherman was the best press man cornerback in the NFL, but from a physical perspective, the comp was apt. Measuring in at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds with long arms and the wingspan of a much taller man, Gardner will enter the NFL as one of the tallest defensive backs in the league right from the jump and should tower over most wide receivers he’s tasked with defending.

Like Sherman, Gardner has fantastic mirror technique, a good eye for interceptions, and the rare badge of honor that is having never given up a touchdown over three-straight seasons of college football.

Sidebar: Yes, Gardner played his college ball at the University of Cincinnati, but if you check out his gameplan, there are a number of choice match-ups, including his final game as a Bearcat versus Alabama.

But now, after the combine, Lance Zierlein and company may need to find a new comp for Cincinnati’s new great NFL player, as Sherman ran a 4.54 coming out of Stanford and Gardner just ripped off a 4.47 40 that was eventually corrected to an official 4.41.

When a cornerback is as big as Gardner with a wingspan that falls in the 94th percentile, running a blazing fast 40 isn’t a deal breaker. It still matters mind you, as Philly fans who watched Rasul Douglas struggle in Jim Schwartz’s scheme will undoubtedly recall, but corners can get away with running a mid-4.5 when they can bully opposing receivers at the line and make plays when the ball is in the air.

Gardner’s tape is filled with great coverage plays in the short and intermediate parts of the field, but having a 4.41 speed truly unlocks his potential to become a legit CB1, one capable of shutting down a side of the field like Sherman did in Seattle.

If Gardner is still on the board at 15, Howie Roseman should call that pick in a second into his time on the clock. He’d be an immediate starter at CB2 and have a perfect mentor to learn from in Darius Slay, but unfortunately, the other 31 teams were at the combine too, and something tells me one of the 12 teams selecting before the Eagles – the New York Giants and Jets have multiple picks – might just want some Sauce too and could dash the Eagles’ dreams before Roseman can even choose to pass on him.

*sigh* I guess that’s just how things go sometimes.

No matter how you slice it, Howie Roseman got lucky last summer. Steven Nelson turned out to be a whole lot better than any player signed in late July has any right to be, and the Philadelphia Eagles’ cornerbacks played very well as a result. The chances of getting that lucky again in 2022 are pretty low. Whether via free agency, the draft, or even trade, the Philadelphia Eagles need to invest in a solid second cornerback heading into their second season under Nick Sirianni, even if Sauce Gardner may have run himself off the proverbial and literal options board.