Jets CB Sauce Gardner Dropped In CBS' Top 100 List, Here's Why

The New York Jets have arguably the top cornerback in football in Sauce Gardner.

The 24-year-old got off to a historic start to his NFL career. He won the 2022 AP National Football League Defensive Rookie of the Year Award but that wasn't all. Gardner was a Pro Bowler, First-Team All-Pro, and even finished eighth in the overall AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award voting.

Gardner followed up his fantastic rookie campaign by landing a spot on the First-Team All-Pro once again in 2023. In 2024, he didn't get the same buzz. His numbers weren't far off from his first two seasons. He held opposing quarterbacks to a 53.5 percent completion percentage as a rookie and 56.4 percent rate in 2023. In 2024, he wasn't far off at 56.9 percent on 33 targets. He only allowed one touchdown in coverage, which was the same as his first two seasons.

His total yards allowed increased and he allowed 541 yards in coverage, but his numbers were't significantly different overall. While this is the case, for some reason, the perception around him started to shift. Maybe it was because there were such high expectations after his first two seasons, but he had a great season in 2024, one that most cornerbacks would be ecstatic to have.

He has high expectations heading into the 2025 season, but he dropped in CBS Sports' Pete Prisco list of the top 100 players heading into the campaign. He was at No. 12 heading into the 2024 season but now is listed at No. 24.

Here's what he said:

"Gardner's play fell off some in 2024, much like a lot of Jets, but it didn't fall that much," Prisco said. "He needs to tackle better at times, but there is no doubt he is an outstanding cover corner. (Last season: No. 12)."

Tackling could certainly get better, but, it still seems like a steep drop. Prisco has Gardner ranked as the No. 3 overall corner in football behind Patrick Surtain II of the Denver Broncos and Derek Stingley Jr. of the Houston Texans.