Ranking potential Eagles 1st-round cornerback prospects that make sense
2. player. 830. . . . Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner, Cincinnati
Certainly, the Eagles can appreciate someone playing for an underdog.
Anyone with a nickname like ‘Sauce’ has to be a baller. Seriously, you can’t be called ‘Sauce’ and cover like Ronald Darby did during most of his run with this Eagles team. Cincinnati’s Ahmad Gardner is ready for primetime despite being one of the standouts at a Bearcats program.
After hurt feelings, temper tantrums, and much debate, the Bearcats got what they wanted at the end of their 2021 college football season. They won the American Athletic Conference, and they earned their spot in the College Football Playoff.
If anyone understands that underdog mentality that’s been associated with the Bearcats, a mentality that they didn’t possess themselves, it’s the citizens of the City of Brotherly Love, Eagles fans all over the planet, and the franchise as a whole. Sauce Gardner hasn’t played a down of football for this Eagles team, yet he already has the mindset to play in a city as demanding as Philly is.
He’s six-foot-two. He tips the scales at 188 pounds. He’s also raw, but he has the length to battle with outside corners at the NFL level.
The Eagles have had some luck with acquiring talent from the Bearcats’ program before. Think Brent Celek and Jason Kelce, two decisions that worked out pretty well for them. If they’re on the board, Gardner is available, and they’re thinking about taking a cornerback, this will not be a decision that blows up in their faces. You can write that down and put a period at the end of the sentence.