How Round 1 will shake out for NY Giants in the 2022 NFL Draft
By Zak Musso
NY Giants Draft Prediction: Sauce Gardner, DB, Cincinnati
After the Giants have selected Evan Neal, the Panthers will take Charles Cross to help fortify their offensive line, leaving the two best corners in the draft for Joe Schoen, who will opt for Gardner over Derek Stingley Jr.
Stingley Jr., who likely has a higher celling than Gardner, has been knocked down the board due to injury concerns, but if Schoen is willing to take the risk, he would also be a phenomenal pick. While there is a chance Gardner gets selected by Detroit, Houston, or the Jets, all teams who have been linked to Gardner, the Giants will sprint to the podium to announce this pick if is still on the board.
In his three years at Cincinnati, Gardner did not allow a single touchdown to be scored on him, despite the fact that he was a starter in the Cincinnati secondary since the start of his freshman season. Gardner also picked off nine passes in college.
In the 14 games Cincinnati played in 2021, Gardner surrounded just 18 catches on 37 targets, for 122 yards. He helped lead Cincinnati to an undefeated season and to their first ever group of five to make the college football playoff, where they lost to Alabama despite the fact that Gardner allowed just 14 yards on four targets in the game.
Gardner is 6’3, 190 pounds, a long corner who would fit new Giants defensive coordinator, Wink Martindale’s, defense perfectly. Martindale deploys a 3-4 base defense which is regarded as a blitz-happy defense that loves to bring pressure, leaving his cornerbacks on islands.
Gardner has elite eyes and speed and his length makes him the perfect shutdown corner to be left one on one against the other team’s best receiver. Gardner will be the perfect replacement for James Bradberry, who will likely be traded this week as a cap causality.
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I do not think the Giants will trade down because there will not be a suitable trade partner, and, since the Giants need elite talent, picking at 5 and 7 offers the chance to grab two elite talents. While it is said, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” the Giants hope the optimism and buzz around their 2022 draft will carry from Vegas into years of success. The pressure is on for the nine new additions to the Giants to alter the course of Giants history.