Sauce Gardner Is Leading A Great Rookie Defensive Class To Start Season

Icon Sportswire. Getty Images.

Going into yesterday's games, scoring in the NFL was down to the lowest amount of points per game since 2017. Scoring has been trending lower and lower in the NFL since 2020 as teams start to prioritize defensive playmakers. The top five picks in the draft were all defensive players. Even in a year stacked with great rookies, Sauce Gardner on the New York Jets has been the clear best defensive rookie.

Gardner has been a huge part of the Jets transformation into one of the best defenses in the NFL. Speaking as a Jets fan, it's so great to have a true shutdown corner again after Revis left. It's now been six seasons since Revis was last a Jet and having another great cornerback is one of very few Jet blessings.

I should mention that the Jets schedule has been favorable this season as it relates to opposing quarterbacks. In only seven games this season, they have already played four backup quarterbacks. Other then still having to face Josh Allen twice, the schedule isn't particularly back breaking the rest of the way. The next best remaining QB's might be Kirk Cousins and (I can't believe I am typing this) Geno Smith?

Before his likely season ending injury yesterday, I really liked Breece Hall's chances for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Sauce Gardner is the favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year but if he also gets hurt or goes into a slump, there are players like Kayvon Thibodeaux, Aiden Hutchinson or even Derek Stingley waiting in the wings.

Stingley has been good this year but he's not in Gardner's class. Last week, he got burned by Sutton a couple times but the plays were called back. But he is still having a nice beginning to his career and exactly the kind of player the Texans should be building around. I don't why, especially in a season with a lot of parity, the Texans aren't trading everyone they can for picks. The Texans have so many holes to fill. They should only be focused on acquiring as many draft picks as they can. With the success of this rookie class, I wonder if you'll see more defense-first drafts over the next couple of years. 

Getting to watch Sauce Gardner every week has been awesome. As a Jets fan, you almost forget what it's like to draft great and exciting players. And let's face it, Derek Stingley is a good player but he has yet to deliver a moment anywhere near as close as this one.