Report: Derek Stingley Has Moved Ahead of Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner on Some NFL Draft Boards

Author:
James Rapien
Apr 26, 2022 8:10 AM EDT

CINCINNATI — Will Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner be the first cornerback taken in the 2022 NFL Draft?

That's been the thought for weeks now leading up to the draft, but it might not happen.

LSU star cornerback Derek Stingley is No. 1 on some teams draft boards according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network.

Stingley made a full recovery from a Lisfranc foot injury. He ran a 4.37 40-yard dash at LSU’s Pro Day. He also posted a 38.5-inch vertical leap and a 10’2″ broad jump.

“When Stingley is healthy, there’s simply no better corner in the draft,” one NFL director of scouting told Wilson. “He’s outstanding in every way we grade football players. Players like him don’t grow on trees. They’re rare for a reason.”

There's also a thought among NFL teams that Stingley is more versatile than Gardner and can thrive in different defensive schemes. This could be a smokescreen, but there's a real chance that Gardner falls out of the top five in large part because of Stingley's recent rise.

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