Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell: Detroit 'Never Went There' With Drafting Sauce Gardner

Gardner will try to keep proving them wrong as the Jets host Campbell's team on Sunday.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Dec 15, 2022 11:28 AM EST

In this story:

Detroit Lions

Cincinnati Bearcats

New York Jets

CINCINNATI — New York Jets cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner is a heavy favorite to win the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year Award this season. The Lions had the first chance to draft him with the No. 2 pick but went with Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson instead.

Now they travel to face the NFL's leader in pass breakups this weekend, a player Lions' head coach Dan Campbell said the team "never went there" with.

“We thought about a lot of different guys,” Campbell acknowledged. “But I never really felt like it went there for [GM] Brad [Holmes] and myself. We felt pretty comfortable with where we wanted to go with it.”

Gardner has allowed just one TD in coverage this season and is coming off a near-perfect game against a top-five wide receiver in Buffalo's Stefon Diggs. He allowed zero targets to on 10 coverage snaps and allowed just one catch for six yards against Buffalo's No. 2, Gabe Davis.

“He would fit perfectly in pretty much any defense,” Campbell said as he highlighted Gardner's confidence and intelligence in coverage.

Detroit is one of the best offenses in the NFL and has plenty of good weapons for Sauce to match up with.

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