With the 2022 NFL Draft set to kick off in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 28, the Seahawks will have a chance to kickstart a new era for the franchise with eight selections, including a top-10 pick and four picks total in the first three rounds.
Over the next month leading up to draft weekend, the AllSeahawks writing staff will dish out in-depth profiles on numerous prospects who could be targets on Seattle's big board.
Next up in the series: Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner—arguably the No. 1 corner in this year's class and one of Seattle's top-30 pre-draft visits.
Background
Starting in all three years of his collegiate career, Gardner recorded nine interceptions and 16 pass deflections while allowing just 58 receptions on 135 targets (42.9 percent completion rate) for 703 yards and an opponent passer rating of 30.4. Even more impressive is the fact he didn't allow a single touchdown in 1,120 career coverage snaps, solidifying him as a three-time first-team All-AAC honoree and a 2021 Consensus All-American. Now, the 21-year old aims to become the NFL's next sensation at cornerback and certainly boasts the tools necessary to accomplish that goal.
Strengths
Gardner is everything Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has desired at the cornerback position and then some. He's 6-foot-23/4, 190 pounds, has 331/2-inch arms, plays with an eagerness to show his physicality and loves to attack the ball.
As his numbers would seem to indicate, Gardner's ball skills are off the charts. Making his accomplishments all the more striking, he played the most press coverage (75 percent) in the country last season. His ability to succeed at those rates stems from his advanced technique, which includes an impressive application of step-kick—the bread and butter of Seattle cornerbacks. Gardner suffocates opposing receivers at the line of scrimmage and combines his NFL-level technique and 4.41-second speed to lock down routes on a consistent basis.
Hands, footwork and vision are all excellent. He's more talent than football IQ at the moment (we'll get to that later), but he still has a good head on his shoulders with above-average recognition, reaction time and execution.
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Additionally, Gardner welcomes contact and is more than willing to make a tackle if need be. He works through most blocks well to reach incoming ball carriers and effectively fills rushing lanes. You won't have to ask him twice to get down and dirty.
Weaknesses
While Gardner's enthusiasm is admirable, he can almost be too hyper-aggressive at times. That makes him prone to being baited or taking a bad jump on a ball, and it also leads to some questionable whiffs on tackle attempts.
On top of that, his skinnier frame does appear to keep him from being able to finish off certain tackles or become overmatched by bigger blockers. He could also improve in his technique as a tackler; he can get a bit awkward in his angles and fail to wrap up properly.
High-end competition was limited for Gardner in the mid-major AAC. That's been a concern for some, who feel his unprecedented college production may be overblown as a result.
Fit in Seattle
The fit between Gardner and the Seahawks is rather obvious and more or less perfect in theory. After the abrupt end to the "Legion of Boom" era, Seattle hasn't been able to find a long-term solution at cornerback; and its two best corners in the five seasons since, Shaquill Griffin and D.J. Reed, now play elsewhere. As noted, Gardner is practically fluent in the team's desired technique and is more than capable of handling the aggressive coverages new defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt is expected to deploy.
It's likely that Gardner is one of the few prospects Seahawks general manager John Schneider and company would stay at pick No. 9 to select. But for all the positives listed above, it's possible the exciting young corner could be long gone by that point.
Previous Seahawks NFL Draft Profiles
Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina | Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa | Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE, Penn State | Tyler Allgeier, RB, BYU | Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati | Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA | Cameron Thomas, EDGE, San Diego State | Trevor Penning, T, Northern Iowa | Hassan Haskins, RB, Michigan | Abraham Lucas, T, Washington State | Troy Andersen, LB, Montana State | Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota | Kingsley Enagbare, DE, South Carolina | Cade Otton, TE, Washington | Rasheed Walker, T, Penn State | Brandon Smith, LB, Penn State | Daniel Faalale, T, Minnesota | Dameon Pierce, RB, Florida
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April 17, 2022 at 08:30AM
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Seahawks Draft Profile: Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner - Sports Illustrated
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