Categories: NFL Draft

NFL 2022 Draft – CB Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner Scouting Report

Profile
2nd CB / Top 10   |   6’3 / 190   |   Class – JR   |   College – Cincinnati
Pro Comparison
Aqib Talib
Scheme
Press/ Man

Grades

Overall Draft Grade: 81.8

Impact Grade

Overall – 77.2

Press – 77.8

Man – 78.2

Balanced – 76.8

Slot – 74.9

Potential Grade

Overall – 89.2

Press – 90.5

Man – 89.4

Balanced – 88.3

Slot – 87.8

Traits/ Skills (see bottom of the page for scale)

All potential first-round prospects are graded and analyzed through ‘film’ of at least three games dedicated to each player. In addition, an array of various stats and analytics are also factored in. Each trait/attribute is graded 1-7.

TraitsImmediatePotential
SPD5.85.8
ACC66
AGI5.65.6
MAN4.55.4
SZC44.8
DZC4.85.6
BSK5.26
PRS56.4
IQ3.85.3
RUN45.8
TAC4.36

Player Notes

CB Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner Bio

  • Sauce Gardner is a fan-favorite prospect and for good reason; his combination of athleticism and press ability are unmatched for a college player
  • One of the most physical corners in press coverage you’ll ever see; didn’t have good technique in college, but easily has the potential to be elite
  • Has a lot of experience playing in a press-man defense against good competition
  • Has the confidence needed to be a dominant corner in the NFL
  • His length and athleticism allow him to be a good impact in run defense and a good option to blitz
  • For someone acclaimed to be a top-five player in this draft; he doesn’t have the true upside of a corner who’d go that high; with that being said, he is as close to a bust-proof prospect as you could realistically expect for a corner
  • He isn’t the most agile nor the fastest corner which limits his upside in a man heavy scheme

Combine

40 yd: 4.41

Shuttle:

10 yd:

3 cone:

Broad Jump:

Vertical:

Bench:

Arm length: 33.5

Hands: 9.63


Grading Scale

Pot=Potential: players’ highest upside

Imp=Impact: player’s immediate impact

Int=Intercept: # of overall points subtracted from overall grade for a given position; the formula for each position comes up with a base overall which is then subtracted by the ‘Int’ # to get the final grade; each position’s base overall scale varies from 110-170.

CB ScaleTraits/ AttributesVariableVariableVariableVariable
CBCornerbackPressManBalancedSlot
SPDSpeed0.210.190.160.14
ACCAcceleration0.160.180.180.18
AGIAgility0.090.160.160.15
MANMan C.0.120.240.160.14
SZCShallow Zone C.0.040.060.080.18
DZCDeep Zone C.0.180.080.150.04
BSKBall skills0.10.080.10.09
PRSPress0.20.150.080.09
IQIQ0.080.050.120.08
INSRun Defense0.040.040.040.1
TACTackle0.030.020.020.06
INT-131.251.251.251.25
OVR
Grade Formula
Draft Grade
Formula
SchemeAgeDraft grade variable
MAN – 28%21Pot=(.38) IMP=(.62)
PRS – 28%22Pot=(.34) IMP=(.66)
BAL – 28%23Pot=(.3) IMP=(.7)
SLO –
16%
24Pot=(.26) IMP=(.74)
Good-character=(+.02)POT. Bad-character=(+.02)IMP.
Injury=(+.02)IMP. in increments depending on the severity
CBScheme Definition
Press-
Cover 3
A press-heavy scheme that depends on long and physical corners that have good straight-line speed; uses primarily cover 3 and variations of press-man coverage.
ManA man-heavy scheme that depends on all-around great athletes that play best in man coverage; uses a variation of press-man and off-ball man coverage.
Balanced-
Split safety
A split-safety scheme that depends on quick and instinctive corners that don’t have great press ability but have solid ball skills; uses primarily quarters coverage which is essentially man coverage for the DBs on most plays; cover 2 and cover 2-shell are also used in this scheme.
SlotThe traditional nickel-corner position needed in every defense; has good lateral agility and quickness, while also having good run defense and tackling. Is able to cover slot receivers and TEs one-on-one and has good zone instincts.

Individual trait scale (1-7):

7 – Rare world-class skill; best in the league and no room for improvement   |   6 – Great-elite skill; one of the best at that given trait but still has some room to improve   |   5 – Very good; above average and has potential to be elite   |   4 – Average; able to suffice but, not ideal long-term   |   3 – Below average; able to suffice at college level   |   2 – Poor; hinders overall play and is a liability to the team   |   1 – Awful; not good enough to play given position at any level above D2 | Note: Consistency plays a large factor.

Overall Draft grade scale (15-100):

85+ – Generational talent; immediate all-pro/ potential HOF.   |   83-85 – Bluechip prospect; immediate star with elite upside   |   81-83 – High first-round talent; high-end starter/ elite potential.   |   79-81 – First rounder; Day one starter/ boom or bust (low risk).   |   76-79 – Replacement level starter/ boom or bust (high risk).   |   73-76 – Will become good starter with 2-3 years/ high upside project.   | 70-73 – Eventual average starter.   |   68-70 – Day one backup/ potential starter.   |   64-68 – Depth piece/ Special teamer  |   64-0 – Practice squad/ league min. level; journeymen/ longshots | QBs have +5 draft value compared to average position.

Check out the full prospect database (google spreadsheet) for more prospect grades.

Thank you to TFG and PFF for inspiring this draft content.

Trey Schneider

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