Sauce Gardner
Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner (born August 31, 2000) is an American football cornerback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Cincinnati and was selected fourth overall by the Jets in the 2022 NFL Draft.
| New York Jets | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Cornerback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | August 31, 2000 Detroit, Michigan |
| Height: | 6 ft 3[1] in (1.91 m) |
| Weight: | 200[1] lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Martin Luther King (Detroit, Michigan) |
| College: | Cincinnati (2019–2021) |
| NFL Draft: | 2022 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Unsigned draft pick |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NFL statistics | |
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |
Early years
Gardner attended Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, Michigan.[2] He played wide receiver and cornerback in high school. Prior to his senior year in 2018, Gardner was named one of the top-5 players in the state of Michigan in his class by 247Sports. In the Division 3 State Championship, Gardner caught four passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns. After the season, Gardner was named a First-Team All-State selection at defensive back by the Associated Press. He was a three-star recruit and committed to play college football at the University of Cincinnati.
College career
In 2019, his true freshman season, Gardner played in 11 games. He had 31 tackles and three interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. He also tallied 11 passes defended and eight pass breakups. After the season, Gardner was the only true freshman named to the All-American Conference first team.[3][4] As a sophomore in 2020, Gardner began the season atop the depth chart as a starter.[5] Gardner declared for the 2022 NFL Draft following the season.[6]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+3⁄4 in (1.90 m) |
190 lb (86 kg) |
33+1⁄2 in (0.85 m) |
9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 4.41 s | 1.51 s | 2.56 s | ||||||
| All values from NFL Combine[8][9] | ||||||||||||
Gardner was selected fourth overall by the New York Jets in the 2022 NFL Draft.[10]
Personal life
His nickname "A1 Sauce Sweet Feet Gardner", which was eventually shortened to "Sauce", was given to him by a football coach at age six due to his confidence and ability on the field. [11]
References
- "Ahmad Gardner Stats, News, Bio". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- McCabe, Mick; Dunlap, Keith (December 14, 2018). "Meet the 2018 Free Press' All-Detroit high school football team". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
- Neuffer, Phil (March 4, 2020). "Cincinnati Bearcats Football Season in Review: Ahmad Gardner". Down the Drive. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
- Lusk, Logan (March 4, 2020). "Q&A — Football sophomore Ahmad Gardner". The News Record. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
- Goricki, David (September 1, 2020). "At Cincinnati, Detroit King's Ahmad Gardner takes his place among nation's top cornerbacks". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
- Jeyarajah, Shehan. "2022 NFL Draft: Cincinnati CB Ahmad Gardner declares after dominant career with Bearcats program". CBS Sports. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- "Ahmad Gardner". gobearcats.com. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "Sauce Gardner Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- "2022 Draft Scout Ahmad Gardner, Cincinnati NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- "Jets Select CB Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner with No. 4 Pick of 2022 NFL Draft". www.newyorkjets.com. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- Vasquez, Andy. "Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner: 3 things to know about NY Jets' No. 4 pick in 2022 NFL Draft". Northjersey.com. Retrieved 28 April 2022.