ESPN has been releasing positional rankings based on surveying front-office members around the NFL, and New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner was ranked No. 3, behind Patrick Surtain II of the Denver Broncos and Denzel Ward of the Cleveland Browns at the first two spots. Gardner received conflicting reviews from front-office members, with some believing he is so good to the point that teams avoid throwing at him, and others believing that he gets away with a lot of holding penalties.

Let's get to the positive reviews first, as some executives believe Sauce Gardner is the best in the NFL.

“Who else with his length and size (6-foot-3) can cover like him?” a veteran AFC scout said, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. “He's the best.”

The Jets certainly believe Gardner is everything they had hoped for after they drafted him out of Cincinnati in the 2022 NFL Draft. He allowed 366 yards and two touchdowns on 57 targets in the 2023 season, according to Fowler. Let's get to another positive review.

“He doesn't get a lot of balls thrown at him,” a scouting director with an NFL team said, via Fowler. “He locks down and has been that good where teams throw away and don't test him. That alone tells me something.”

The Jets are hoping that the positive traits that executives see in Gardner and voiced here show in the 2024 season, as the team has Super Bowl aspirations with Aaron Rodgers hopefully being healthy. Gardner is a key member on a Jets defense that is very strong.

Why is Sauce Gardner a polarizing player?

As mentioned before, there are some within the league who believe that Gardner is overrated, with one not holding back on that stance when speaking on him.

“One of the most overrated players in the league,” a high-ranking NFL personnel evaluator said, via Fowler. “You could call holding on him every play.”

Fowler said that Gardner ranked lower on the list of top cornerbacks than he did after his rookie season, when he challenged Patrick Surtain II for the top spot. Instead, he is down to the No. 3 cornerback this year behind Surtain and Denzel Ward.

It will be interesting to see how Gardner fares this year, and if he gets called for some holding penalties, as the anonymous evaluator believes he should. Still, Gardner has a great reputation among the fans in the NFL, and is known as one of, if not the best cornerbacks in the league.

Going back to the 2022 NFL Draft, Gardner was the second cornerback off the board, as he was picked after Derek Stingley Jr. from LSU, who ended up with the Houston Texans at the No. 3 pick. Singley has struggled with injuries, but has proven to be a star player when he is on the field.

Gardner has been on the field more often than Stingley. He also has an outgoing personality in the New York market, so he will get recognition from many people.

Hopefully for Gardner, he continues his strong play and helps the Jets get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2010.