Panthers 2022 draft scouting report: Sauce Gardner brings alpha mindset

How would Sauce Gardner fit on the Carolina Panthers?

• Week 1 contributor, a possible starter

With Donte Jackson and Jaycee Horn currently on the roster, it’s hard to say if Sauce Gardner would be an immediate starter for the Carolina Panthers in Week 1. He would however immediately be in the cornerback rotation.

Last season, the Panthers played cornerback-by-committee since they had so many of them. Depending on the situation, you could have seen six different guys line up throughout the game.

It’s unknown if this same formula will follow Carolina into next season, but Gardner would at the very least be in nickel and dime packages on week one. If I were head coach Matt Rhule, starting Horn and the Cincinnati product on the outside and letting Jackson man the slot is how I would approach things if this was the pick, however unlikely it might be.

Carolina’s cornerback rotation would consist of Horn, Gardner, Jackson, C.J. Henderson, and Keith Taylor Jr. Not too shabby by any stretch of the imagination.

That’s three top 10 picks from the past three seasons – one that was traded for, a second-round selection that just got extended, and a fifth-round pick from last season. That’s a lot of elite capital invested into one position.

The Panthers would have one of, if not the best cornerback unit in the NFL for the foreseeable future.

With that said, the only reason Carolina should be taking a cornerback at No. 6 is if the top three left tackles are off the board. The team has addressed the quarterback position via trade with Sam Darnold, which blew up in their faces, and no one wants to trade up so you’re stuck with the pick and he’s the best player available.

Pretty unlikely circumstances all around.