Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
Projected Range:
#3 overall- #15 overall
Overview:
Ahmad Gardner had an incredible college career and a great start to the pre-draft process. Gardner did not officially allow a touchdown in his college career. In addition to this incredible statistic, he ran a 4.41 second 40 time and measured in at 6’2 with arms that measured 33 inches long. There is no question that Gardner is the best cornerback in the draft.
While the Chiefs have had a history of not investing much in the cornerback position, this may just be too good for Brett Veach and Co. to pass up. It may be their only chance to draft a top-end cornerback for the next decade. If they were looking to snag a potential “boom” player that could completely change the secondary, Gardner would be the move to make.
This move would make sense to both Steve Spagnuolo and Brett Veach who love big and athletic cornerbacks in the backfield. For a defense that uses a lot of man coverage, Gardner could be the best player that they could potentially draft.
Compensation:
The odds are that a trade like this would require, again, a bunch of high-end picks. For a player that will be at the top of his position and probably likely be selected in the top ten, there is no way that the Chiefs could move up without giving up both of their firsts and a fourth-rounder, or more.