(Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)
There have been many accolades for New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, and rightfully so.
After all, in only two NFL seasons he has been a First-Team All-Pro twice, been named to two Pro Bowls and was the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year.
So, what’s not to love?
Apparently a lot, at least according to an NFL executive who panned the former first-round draft selection out of Cincinnati.
In ESPN’s recent survey of the top 10 cornerbacks in the league, an unnamed team executive called Gardner the “most overrated player in the NFL” before adding that “you can call him holding every play,” via Dov Kleiman.
One NFL exec called #Jets CB Sauce Gardner the “most overrated player in the NFL.”
“You can call holding on him every play.”
Thoughts?https://t.co/0JYU9B5ldL https://t.co/5InFsAJN3U pic.twitter.com/zQq8MmsBzE
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 18, 2024
It is somewhat startling to hear such criticism for a player who leaped to stardom out of the gate at one of the game’s toughest positions.
Gardner picked off only two passes during his first two campaigns in New York, but that is credited to teams simply avoiding his area and looking for other openings down the field.
The young cornerback is still weeks away from his 24th birthday, and many already place him among the very best defenders in the NFL.
It is no secret that Gardner establishes contact with the opposing wide receiver, and this technique is a critical reason why so few touchdowns are scored over his coverage.
The critic was not identified, which leaves open the possibility that the statement came from a foe burned by Gardner’s talents wanting to take shots at the young star.
But on a Jets team with high aspirations — if they can keep Aaron Rodgers upright — Gardner is counted on to be that elusive shutdown corner.
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