NFL Draft Odds: Ahmad Gardner Overwhelming Favorite to be First Cornerback Drafted

Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner is the overwhelming favorite at SI Sportsbook to be the first cornerback selected in the upcoming draft.

Is the next Charles Woodson, Deion Sanders or Darrelle Revis in this year’s NFL draft class? NFL clubs in dire need of defensive backfield help are hoping that is the case.

As teams continue to shell out big contracts to wideouts in an attempt to run schemes predicated heavily on three- and four-wide receiver sets, the need for elite cornerbacks has become a priority. Oddsmakers believe two players at the position stand out above the cast of talented cornerbacks in 2022.

Let’s take a deeper look at the cornerback market.

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Cornerback Betting Odds

Bettors witnessed five cornerbacks selected in the first round of the 2021 draft, with two shutdown corners coming off the board in the first 10 picks.

Jaycee Horn was selected at No. 8 by the Panthers, followed by Patrick Surtain II to the Broncos at No. 10, Caleb Farley to the Titans at No. 22, Greg Newsome II to the Browns at No. 26 and Eric Stokes to the Packers at No. 29.

For this year’s draft, the oddsmakers at SI Sportsbook have set the over/under betting projection at 4.5 cornerbacks selected in the first round with the ‘over’ moderately juiced at odds of -152. Bettors will need to risk $152 to win $100.

There are only four cornerbacks who are rumored to be strongly in the mix to be drafted in the first round: Cincinnati’s Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr, Washington’s Trent McDuffie and Clemson’s Andrew Booth Jr. The wild card who could sneak into the back-end of the first round is McDuffie’s teammate Kyler Gordon.

Currently, we find Gardner as an overwhelming favorite at odds of -400 to hear his name announced first among all cornerbacks at SI Sportsbook.

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FIRST CORNERBACK SELECTED IN 2022 NFL DRAFT

Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, CB, Cincinnati (-400)

The AAC Defensive Player of the Year is the prototypical corner with the size and strength NFL clubs desire. Gardner’s athleticism led to an amazing collegiate accomplishment of never allowing a touchdown to an opposing wideout while a member of the Bearcats. His game on the field, combined with his bold confidence off of it, reminds many NFL coaches and scouts of shutdown corner Richard Sherman. As we know, Sherman played for current Jets head coach Robert Saleh while with the 49ers, and New York own picks No. 4 and No. 10. 

Gerald Herbert/AP

Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU (+275)

The former LSU standout silenced any potential health concerns when he turned in a solid pro day workout a few weeks ago.

Stingley, who underwent surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury last September, impressed scouts running a sub 4.4 40-yard dash. Stingley was an integral part of the LSU national championship season as a freshman with six interceptions, but his production fell off with zero interceptions in his final 10 games over the last two seasons.

Frankie Taddeo is a successful high-stakes fantasy football player who created the first-ever DFS program ever offered in a Las Vegas sportsbook. Frankie is SI Betting's Senior Analyst and provides his significant experience and resources in the sports betting scene. You can follow Frankie on Twitter @Frankie_Fantasy for his latest betting and fantasy insights from Las Vegas.

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