Colts Sauce Gardner drops in CB rankings; NFL execs, coaches weigh in

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Indianapolis Colts' cornerback Sauce Gardner came in at No. 9 in ESPN's annual position rankings.

Each year, Jeremy Fowler goes position by position, putting together a list of the 10 players from each unit. However, what makes these rankings unique is that a total of 70 NFL execs, coaches, and scouts were the voters. Other elements, such as research, interviews, and film analysis by Matt Bowen, factor in as well.

The Colts traded for Gardner prior to last season's deadline, but unfortunately, in his brief tenure with Indianapolis, he has had to navigate injuries. Gardner would appear in only four games with the Colts.

However, the injury aside, one NFL offensive coach sees a dip in performance from Gardner. Fowler notes that his "turnover production is poor," with three interceptions in four seasons, and several evaluators pointed out that Gardner "misses tackles and holds too much."

"Sauce lost the sauce," an NFL offensive coach told Fowler. "Now, he got traded for a reason -- he's a long strider and has the confidence to overshadow his weaknesses. He can press and play Cover 2. But he's not going to tackle all the time, he's not going to crack replace, and when playing zone, sometimes he's not playing it correctly. It's just hard for him to hold up over the course of the game."

Although it's a small sample size, Gardner's production while with the Colts was still impressive. In four games, Gardner allowed a completion rate of 54%, giving up just 7.3 yards per catch, with three pass breakups.

Fowler also notes that while Gardner doesn't have many interceptions, he is tied for the second-most passes defended since 2022 with 39.

"Not many move like him," an NFL personnel evaluator said to Fowler. "He moves like a much smaller man. But he's not making plays at the same rate he was."

Gardner has the ability to lock down half of the football field with his presence in coverage. Beyond filling his own column on the stat sheet, Gardner allows defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo to call much more aggressive games.

Having a full offseason in Anarumo's scheme should help Gardner take a step forward this season.

Gardner came in at No. 5 in these rankings last year.

This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts Sauce Gardner drops in CB rankings; NFL execs, coaches weigh in

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