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You can read the entire article if you'd like ...... I'm just going to highlight the Colts' player.
Executives, Coaches, Scouts Rank Top NFL Cornerbacks for 2026
(By Jeremy Fowler)
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...coaches-scouts
9) l Sauce Gardner, Indianapolis Colts
Highest Ranking: lllllllllllllll. 5
Lowest Ranking: llllllllllllllllllt Unranked
Last Year's Ranking: llllt 5
Age: llllll 24
Once again, Gardner is the most polarizing cornerback on the list. He's a star player who is paid like one, and he garnered two 1st-round draft picks in a mid-season trade from the New York Jets to the Colts. He has long been a Pro Football Focus favorite. He has rare length for the position, and he breaks up passes at a high rate.
But his turnover production is poor ...... he has only 3 interceptions in 4 NFL seasons ...... and several evaluators have pointed out that he misses tackles and holds too much.
"Sauce lost the sauce," an NFL offensive coach said. "Now, he got traded for a reason ...... he's a long strider, and he has the confidence to overshadow his weaknesses. He can press and play Cover 2 ...... but he's not going to tackle all of 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."
Some coaches have suggested that a full season with Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, a defensive backs coach by trade, will help his consistency.
To be sure, Gardner's 9 pass breakups on 293 coverage snaps (3.1%) last season led the league based on percentage. And his 39 passes defended since entering the league in 2022 ties with Denzel Ward for the 2nd-most by any player over that span, trailing only Alontae Taylor (40.)
"Not many move like him," an NFL personnel evaluator said. "He moves like a much smaller man ...... but he's not making plays at the same rate that he once was."
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