NFL Draft 2022: Is Sauce Gardner the perfect player for the Houston Texans?

Maybe the Houston Texans need to add a cornerback with the No. 3 pick.

The Houston Texans need help at cornerback and the player who could help them the most at the position played his collegiate football in Ohio. The player being spoken of is Ahmad Gardner, but he’s better known as Sauce Gardner.

Gardner played three seasons with the Cincinnati Bearcats, and was a member of their team that made the College Football Playoff this past season. Gardner is coming off a ’21 season with the Bearcats where he had three interceptions, a feat he accomplished during all three of his collegiate seasons with Cincinnati.

The cornerback also had a forced fumble this past season, plus he added three sacks, four passes defensed, and he totaled 28 solo tackles in ’21. For his three-year career with the Bearcats, Sauce Gardner finished with 18 passes defensed and 68 solo tackles.

That’s one heck of a career and we haven’t even mentioned he only allowed 6.6 yards per reception in ’21, that’s according to Pro Football Focus. He’s also never allowed a touchdown in three season at the collegiate level.

Gardner could be the choice of the Houston Texans with the third overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft because the 6’3″ cornerback has all of the tools to be the next great cornerback in the NFL. He’s getting pre-draft NFL comparisons to former Seattle Seahawks superstar Richard Sherman, who is one of the very best to ever play the position

Texans Draft: What are others saying about Sauce Gardner?

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote the following about Sauce Gardner in his draft profile of the cornerback:

"“He’s highly competitive with a confidence level that will be labeled as cocky by some evaluators. “Sauce” uses length and hand activity to impose his will on the release and stall the route on the tarmac.”"

This is why the Texans should consider selecting Sauce and using the No. 3 overall pick on him, because he’s the real deal. He’s a game-changer and has the ability, physical attributes, and talent to keep some of the best wide receivers in the game at bay. The fact that his competitiveness is mentioned is an excellent reason to be excited about Gardner possibly joining the Texans secondary too.

The Texans need to build their own version of the “Legion of Boom,” especially with all of the talented quarterbacks in the AFC right now.

If the Texans can build a super-competitive defense starting with this draft, the following two years of having two first round choices in each draft —  thanks to the Deshaun Watson trade — could have the defense of the Texans in a special place within a few short seasons.

Maybe the Texans can be build a defense that will be feared by many in the ensuing seasons with some of their future draft picks. That’s the goal, right?

To ever be competitive in not only the AFC South, but the entire AFC the Houston Texans need to be strong on defense, and adding a highly-talented cornerback who will be a difference maker from the very start of his career might be the way to go.

What are your thoughts on Sauce Gardner? Do you want the Houston Texans to pick him with the third overall pick of the draft?