MMQB: Sauce Gardner's 'Tape Is as Clean as Anyone's' in NFL Draft; Teams Covet Length

Don't be shocked if Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner comes off the board very early in the first round at this year's NFL draft. 

Albert Breer of SI.com reported Monday that scouts he's talked to say Gardner's "tape is as clean as anyone's in the class, and he's got the length that Seattle-system defensive coordinators—and there are a lot of them—covet."

The 6'3" and 190-pound Gardner seems like a safe bet to be a top-10 pick, and perhaps even go off the board in the first five selections. 

Ask him, and he says he should go No. 1:

B/R's NFL scouting department has Gardner ranked as the No. 11 prospect in this year's draft class and the second-best cornerback, behind LSU's Derek Stingley Jr. (No. 8). 

The NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah has Gardner as his No. 3 player, meanwhile, calling him a "tall, long cornerback with elite movement skills and toughness" who has "a unique skill set for his size" and compares favorably to former Pro Bowler Antonio Cromartie at the position.

And ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. predicted Gardner to go No. 10 to the New York Jets in his latest mock draft, calling him a "shutdown corner with outstanding tools" who "showed in the College Football Playoff against Alabama that he can hold his own against elite talent."

He was Kiper's first cornerback off the board. 

Gardner, 21, played in 33 games for Cincinnati the past three seasons, registering 68 tackles, nine interceptions, 16 passes defensed and 3.5 sacks in his career. He also never gave up a passing touchdown. 

"I don't have plans on giving one up in the NFL," he told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine about his clean touchdown record. "I'm not a guy that dwells on the last play. As a cornerback, you gotta have short-term memory. So I say that's my only disorder—I have short-term memory loss."

It seems unlikely to be one that keeps him from going early in this year's draft.