NFL Execs Vote Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner Runaway Rookie of the Year

No player on any of the awards ballot got more votes than Gardner.

© Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

CINCINNATI — The top NFL executives have spoken, and Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner is their unquestioned Defensive Rookie of the Year. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer polled the group, and Sauce got more votes for an award than any other player on the list.

He garnered 28 votes, while all other rookies totaled ten votes.

"The biggest blowout on the board," Breer wrote. "It’s well-deserved—Gardner leads the NFL (not rookies, the entire league) with 13 pass breakups, has two interceptions, and has come up big in a number of big spots, one being on the Bills’ last offensive snap last Sunday in a huge Jets upset (Sauce recovered on Gabe Davis to knock away Josh Allen’s bid to convert fourth-and-21 with a 70-yard heave).

"Even better, he has star-corner persona to match. “I always tell everybody, I ain’t the average rookie,” Gardner told me postgame Sunday, laughing, as he took me through a play early in the game when Stefon Diggs beat him. “So I gotta take that and I got to make sure I’m trying to be a leader. And I’m being a leader as a rookie, I gotta be vocal. I can’t be one of those people who backs down from challenges. I love competition, so when he caught that play, I told him Alright, let’s go. Let’s do it.” Gardner has, for sure, been doing it."

It's Sauce's world, and we're just living in it. Check out the full numbers behind his stellar rookie season thus far.

Make sure you bookmark All Bearcats for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more.

You May Also Like the following:

Three Man Weave: UC Beats Cleveland State 69-58 at Fifth Third Arena

Watch: Wes Miller Introduces Four-Star Guard Jizzle James

Game Preview: East Carolina Travels to Clifton For 'Nipp at Night'

Sauce By The Numbers: Ahmad Gardner Best Rookie Corner in Jets History

Ben Bryant on Outside Criticism: 'I Have Pretty Thick Skin'

UC Reveals Nipp at Night Uniform Combo

Three Man Weave: UC Dominates Chaminade 98-55 in Season Opener

UC Target Isaiah Collier Playing Scrimmage in Cincinnati

Watch: Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner Notches Second NFL Interception

Stars of the Game: Who Shined Brightest in Bearcats Win Over Navy?

Final Huddle: UC Swallows Navy 20-10 at Nippert Stadium

Three Bold Predictions for UC Basketball in 2022-23

Watch: Tyler Scott Scorches Navy With Long TD

Report: Gonzaga In Talks to Join Big 12

Ivan Pace Jr. Named Butkus Award National Linebacker of the Month

UC Football Holds Onto Top-25 Standing in ESPN Recruiting Rankings

UC Guard Dylan O'Quinn Discusses UCF Loss, Switching Positions, Navy Adjustments

Ivan Pace Jr. Named Semi-Finalist for Butkus, Bednarik Awards

UC's AAC Title Path Following 25-21 Loss to UCF

Report: Big 12 Strikes Renewed Media Deal with Fox, ESPN

Four-Star 2024 WR Brandon Heyward Vaults UC into Top-Eight Schools

UC Offers 2025 Four-Star Point Guard Jasper Johnson

Four-Star 2024 PG Labaron Philon Names UC in Top-Eight Schools

-----

Be sure to keep it locked on All Bearcats all the time!

Follow All Bearcats on Twitter: @AllBearcats

Like All Bearcats on FaceBook: All Bearcats

Follow All Bearcats on Instagram: @BearcatsTalk