NFL Draft notes: Sauce Gardner becoming the most likely "Good pick" for Seahawks at 9
Will Kayvon Thibodeaux fall to Seattle?
SI’s Albert Breer posted some interesting draft notes on Friday. Here are a few tidbits I’ve picked out and what it could say about the Seattle Seahawks at 9.
No Kayvon Thibodeaux for Lions?
Breer reports that Lions head coach Dan Campbell is considered a poor fit for Thibodeaux.
“Well, I can tell you that no one I’ve talked to at this point believes that Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux is in any way a culture fit for Detroit coach Dan Campbell. “His personality is a lot,” said one exec, “and you hear the head coach there isn’t a fan.””
If the Jaguars select Aidan Hutchinson and the Lions pick Travon Walker or a cornerback like Sauce Gardner, how far could Thibodeaux fall? I’ve written in the past that I don’t think Giants GM Joe Schoen would let Thibodeaux get past seven, assuming New York hangs onto that pick. (That’s also where Breer ends Thibodeaux’s slide.) I could see a team trading up for Thibodeaux if Detroit doesn’t want him—but it seems there’s not going to be a great return this year for teams trading down.
Will Lions GM Brad Holmes accept moving down a few spots just to get an extra third? Or is it better to simply stick and pick Gardner, a guy who may not get past pick three?
Why would Texans pick a right tackle at three?
Breer has Houston’s bet hedged on Evan Neal, but is that really going to turn around Houston’s fortunes? A solid right tackle with a top-three pick? Breer has the Texans going cornerback with their other first rounder but I think the drop from Gardner to Derek Stingley, Trent McDuffie, and Andrew Booth might be significant.
Why would the Jets take a guard at four?
If the Jets pick a player like Ikem Ekwonu and then stick him at guard (where there isn’t even a need right now, since New York signed Laken Tomlinson) it could be the hardest pick to accept in the top-10. Yes, the jury is out on Mekhi Becton but the jury is still OUT. Why would a bad team like the Jets take their third first round OL in the last three years after having already settled on George Fant and Tomlinson as starters on top of that?
The best available edge, corner, or their top-ranked receiver makes more sense to me than an offensive linemen—at least in the top-five.
Is Charles Cross the best all-around player in the draft?
Breer projects Cross to the Giants at five and says that some people believe he’s that good:
“You could argue he’s the best player, no doubt. He starts to bore you, it’s so easy for him. … The way he redirects, the way he plants his outside foot and explodes, no one beats him with speed, no one crosses his face and beats him, he just doesn’t lose much.”
I know that some Seahawks fans agree that Cross would be a great pick. The reasons that I don’t expect THE SEAHAWKS to see it that way is that Cross is quite clearly defined as a pass-blocking left tackle from an air raid offense who needs considerable reps in run-blocking and he failed to hit the athletic thresholds of literally every other Pete Carroll offensive tackle of the last 12 years.
I don’t see Seattle using a top-10 selection on a blindside pass protector for Drew Lock or Geno Smith. It’s safer to assume that Pete’s mind continues to be focused on an improved rushing attack and pass defense.
Will Panthers be forced to trade down for a modest return?
Of all the teams expected to swallow a pill early, Breer notes that the Panthers may be the most stuck between a rock and a hard place. They have plenty of needs and they don’t have any picks between 6 and 137. The issue is that this is not a good draft class and teams aren’t going to be dying to trade up at this point, unless maybe Thibodeaux falls to six. Are the Steelers going to attempt to trade up from 20 to 6 and would Carolina manage to get a 2023 first round pick out of that?
Normally, I would say “Of course, that’s the value.” But what people who reference the draft pick value trade chart forget is that every class is different.
In the case of the 2022 QBs, I could see the argument that Pittsburgh need only offer their own first (20th) and their second (52nd) to leap up for Kenny Pickett or Malik Willis. Unless the Commanders or Saints come in with a better package (I doubt it), what choice would Carolina have?
Either stick at six and hope that Pickett/Willis/Desmond Ridder work out for you, choose an offensive tackle who might not even be a premium left tackle, or bite the bullet because you put yourself in this position by trading for Sam Darnold and C.J. Henderson a year ago.
Eventually, the Panthers bite the bullet and swallow the pill. Breer says there’s been no noise as far as Pickett and the Panthers.
“The interesting thing is the one name they’ve been linked to most publicly, Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, is one I haven’t heard quite as much for them of late. Yes, I understand there was the public show at his pro day, that Matt Rhule recruited him out of high school and that, with jobs on the line this year, it might make sense to get the most pro-ready guy.”
Will Sauce Gardner be Seattle’s BPA pick?
At this point, I’ve seen all the mocks and the ones that are usually the least offensive to the Seahawks front office are the ones where Sauce Gardner goes to Seattle. Here, Breer mocks Sauce Gardner to the Seahawks. Good on you, Albert.
“The first pick form the Russell Wilson haul should be a pivotal one for the Seahawks. Sitting there, as we have it, would be an ideal fit at corner, in Gardner. But Seattle’s history under John Schneider and Pete Carroll has always been to find and/or manufacture corners in nontraditional ways. And with Duane Brown still unsigned, there’s a real need at left tackle here.”
We need to throw out the talk that Pete Carroll has never drafted a cornerback in the first 89 picks. (Shaquill Griffin, 90th, is the highest so far.) The Seahawks had Richard Sherman for many years, and they got excellent play from Brandon Browner, Byron Maxwell, and then Griffin held his own for a while. Teams don’t tend to stretch beyond having one shutdown cornerback and many of them won’t even go as far as to find one.
The Bengals didn’t have one last year. Neither did the 49ers or the Chiefs. That’s 75-percent of your “final four” from last season.
If your team has one, like Jalen Ramsey or Tre’Davious White or Jaire Alexander, then good on you; many of the best NFL teams have that one guy. But it doesn’t surprise me that Seattle has never given off desperation at the cornerback position because it has never been one of the most pressing needs.
This year could be different and the Seahawks have a top-10 pick for only the second time since 2010.

Sauce Gardner is the only cornerback in this class who I think warrants a top-10 selection and he might be the perfect value at nine, assuming the top tackle and edge prospects are off the board. The next-best DE prospect I see would be George Karlaftis, and the next-best OT prospect is probably Trevor Penning. Eventually, Seattle may choose to trade down, but if the Giants, Panthers, and Falcons get their way, it may be too late to find a team that wants to move up.
Gardner is a great prospect, and I wouldn't object if that is who they pick at 9, however, Seattle started the trend of upgrading long CB's value, and now everyone wants a long CB and that leaves short CB's with other attributes that make them great ignored or pigeon holed as nickel CB's. Last year Seattle broke their own pattern and took Moore who is not long, but he worked out, and this year, in my opinion, the best CB in the draft, if you throw out length as an issue entirely, is Marcus Jones. Jones is also the best punt returner in this draft.
The Seahawks could address their need at tackle(s) and QB or Edge before they draft a CB. There are plenty of short CB's available these days since the Hawks got everyone wanting long CB's.
Good point about the Hawks and their history with CBs. They got so lucky with BB and Sherm right at the same time that it kind of became Pete and John's calling card. And good for them for rethinking the position for the NFL at the time they did, but still lucky. I'd love it if they stayed put and ended up with Gardner, Thibodeaux, or Johnson. Breer's post seems like such a logical progression of picks and you've just got to figure there's going to be some weirdness that benefits the Hawks chances of getting a premier player there.