The Minnesota Vikings’ secondary was the root of most of their defensive woes last season. While the D-line was unable to help them when both Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen missed time, their cornerbacks still proved unable to hold their own in big moments.
Fans initially thought that the additions of Patrick Peterson, Mackensie Alexander, and Bashuad Breeland would help stabilize a young cornerback room. However, two of the three ended up being disastrous. Breeland struggled all season and was ranked among the worst corners in the NFL, and opposing quarterbacks constantly victimized Alexander. Peterson proved to be a valuable signing, but he’s 31 and isn’t the same lockdown corner that he once was.
The Vikings can’t rely on Kris Boyd to be a regular contributor in the secondary. He was a liability in the two games where he saw meaningful snaps, giving up over 100 yards. Minnesota needs to add another cornerback who can stand firm and not give up crucial plays in big moments. Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner from the University of Cincinnati might be exactly the player they need.
Gardner is 6’3″, 200 lbs. and has the accolades to match his stature. Gardner never allowed a touchdown on over 1,100 coverage snaps in his three seasons with the Bearcats. Last year, Gardner put up one of the best seasons by a cornerback in college football. He allowed only 117 yards in 14 games with 482 coverage snaps while playing press-man single coverage.
People might look at his level of competition as a detriment because he was not playing against Power 5 wideouts in the American Conference. But Gardner played his best football on the biggest stage in the college playoff against the Alabama Crimson Tide. He was one of the few bright spots for Cincinnati all game, allowing zero yards. Gardner was a big reason Alabama had its lowest successful pass rate since Week 1 of 2017.
Gardner is a long, rangy corner with heaps of athleticism and the ability to play in more than one coverage. During his time with the Bearcats, Gardner showed prowess in both press-man coverages and zone.
When alone in man coverage, Gardner needs to stop being as grabby. He needs to trust his athleticism more than he does. Gardner’s length and speed make it so that no wideout overmatches him on raw physical tools alone.
Gardner is excellent when it comes to pressing opposing wideouts, jamming the opposing receiver at the line of scrimmage, and disrupting their routes. His nine interceptions in three years with the Bearcats also shows a level of ball skills that the Vikings lacked this season in Breeland and Alexander, who dropped several potential takeaways.
Gardner isn’t just a one-track defender. He can adapt to zone coverage just as easily. Garnder can read the quarterback’s eyes and easily disrupt throwing lanes when playing in the zone. He is also impeccable when squeezing opposing routes and forcing the receiver to alter them. His size is a major asset in zone coverage because it forces the quarterback to be much more accurate and allows him to disrupt routes with ease.
Gardner is also a willing run defender and will take on blocks with ease. While he needs to improve his tackling technique, the effort is there for everyone to see. Gardner shows his competitive edge when in run defense, and he is more than happy to take on blockers to make the stop.
Corner is a top priority for the Vikings this season, and Gardner might be their best bet to find someone who is both scheme-versatile and an instant contributor. If he joins the Vikings, he could pair with Cameron Dantzler on the outside to form a good young cornerback tandem.
