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Adam WellsJanuary 4, 2022.
AP Photo/Jeff Dean.
Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner is turning pro after helping lead Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff.
In a phone interview with Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, he said that he was declaring for the NFL draft.
He said he talked to his family. My work at Cincinnati is done. I did everything I was supposed to do. I listened to what the coaches were telling me to do so I could take care of my family.
Some scouts believe that he could go off the board in the top 15 picks.
According to B/R's NFL Scouting Department, the No. 5 corner in the class of 2022 is Gardner.
According to Todd McShay, the tall and long Gardner is an adequate wrap-up tackler and has a strong recognition ability in the zone.
During the College Football Playoff, he was a key player for the Bearcats. He started 13 games, setting career highs with five tackles for loss, three sacks and three turnovers.
A native of Detroit, he was a 3-star recruit coming out of Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School. He was named to the All-AAC first team in each of his three seasons at Cincinnati.
The consensus All-American was named the defensive player of the year as a junior. He had five tackles and one tackle for loss in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Alabama.
The third player in the history of the Cincinnati football program to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft, can be Gardner. The only Cincinnati players drafted in the first round were quarterback Greg Cook and defensive tackle Bob Bell.
