When it comes to the cornerback position ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft, there is no clear consensus as to who is the best player available.
On one hand you have LSU's Derek Stingley Jr., who is considered a high-ceiling player after an absurdly productive 2019 campaign but who has only played 10 games since. On the other, there's Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, who is considered the safer player to draft, even if many consider his ceiling not quite as high as his LSU contemporary.
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Gardner, however, has no issues saying he's the best player — not just of his position, but of the entire 2022 NFL Draft.
"I feel like I'm the chosen one," Gardner said, per NJ.com. "I feel like I'm the best in the draft. There's no doubt about it. There's no way I can be a bust. That shouldn't even be an option."
Gardner, whom many project to go in the top 10 — most notably to the Jets at picks 4 or 10 or Giants at picks 5 and 7 — is coming off a season in which he allowed only 13 catches for 117 yards. Moreover, he never allowed a touchdown pass in 1,000-plus career snaps at Cincinnati.
Gardner told NJ.com that he would have no issues playing in a city like New York, which can place massive expectations on players drafted to play there — especially those who garner a top-10 pick.
"It'll be easy," Gardner said. "The older I get, the better I want to get. I don't want to be one of those guys who gets to about 30 and they say, 'Ah, he's about to retire.' At 30, I want to be playing my best. I want to be better than I was when I was 25."
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The 6-3, 200-pound corner is coming off a season in which he had 40 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, three interceptions and four passes defensed. In his final collegiate game, Gardner helped limit Alabama's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback (and projected 2023 top-five draft pick) Bryce Young to a season-low 181 yards. He also helped limit receiver Jameson Williams, a likely first-round pick Thursday, to 62 receiving yards.
Only time will tell if Gardner ends up in New York, either as a Giant or Jet. Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News projects the Bearcats cornerback to go seventh overall in his mock draft with the Giants' second pick — five spots ahead of Stingley, to the Vikings.
