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Sauce Gardner's excellent rookie season has not gone unnoticed by the media and the fans. The New York Jets cornerback locked down many number one wide receivers and was a key piece of one of the best defenses in the league, even though the Jets were unable to make the playoffs in 2022.
With the hype around the New York team growing higher by the day ever since they traded for Aaron Rodgers, Gardner has been ranked as one of the elite cornerbacks of the league by executives, coaches and scouts of the league in a ranked compiled by ESPN, which had him as number two just below Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain.
That was enough for people to point out the 'NYC tax', saying that he's only recognized as such a great cornerback because he plays in New York, the league's biggest media market. The critics came from former cornerback Asante Samuel, a four-time Pro Bowler who won two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.
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But the young star player did not hold back:
Sauce Gardner rookie season: Why did Jets cornerback ranked as elite?
Here's what the ESPN article said about Sauce, noting some of his numbers throughout the 2022 season:
Gardner put together one of the best rookie seasons for a cornerback in recent memory, becoming the most hyped cover man in Jets folklore since Darrelle Revis.
He tied for the league lead in pass breakups (20) and posted a 24.7% ball-hawk rate, the best among cornerbacks with at least 400 coverage snaps. As a result, he pushed Surtain for the top spot, earning just one fewer top-three vote than the Broncos corner.
It's always controversial to place a player who has only had one year as a professional as the best of his position, but Gardner's 2022 year had such a high level that it becomes more plausible.
He was voted the Defensive Rookie of the Season with 96% of the votes. He's a player who always seems to be one step ahead of the opposing attack - explosive, closes very quickly in the plays and this is evident by the numbers: only one touchdown conceded and 45% of the passes were completed when thrown in his direction.
A star is born in the NFL.
