New Orleans Saints: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson already showing great value
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson fell to the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 2019 draft and the safety is already showing what great value that was.
The New Orleans Saints were short on draft picks in 2019 in terms of quantity, which was made even more the case when they moved up in the second round to take Erik McCoy and when they moved up in the fourth round to take Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. Both picks, even at the time, presented value well worth trading up for, however.
In the case of McCoy, he was one of the top interior offensive linemen in the 2019 NFL Draft class and provides great versatility at guard and center that the Saints need in a big way. As for Gardner-Johnson, it was a shock to see him still available with the 105th overall pick in itself. The Florida Gators product was a prospect that I had mocked in the first round frequently and was an early Day 2 player at worst to most others.
Due to apparent character concerns and some bad tape early in his career, though, Gardner-Johnson ultimately fell to that No. 105 pick and the Saints made the move to nab him. As offseason workouts have been underway, the defensive back has already started turning heads.
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As ESPN highlighted the surprise offseason standout for each NFL team, Gardner-Johnson was the pick by beat writer Mike Triplett, saying the following:
"The rookie fourth-round pick has made a quick impression this spring. Not only has he made a few flash plays in both rookie camp and OTAs, but the Saints clearly like his versatility as both a safety and slot corner in the nickel. The 5-foot-11, 210-pounder from Florida has mixed in at times with the first-string nickel defense — and coach Sean Payton mentioned him as being in that mix for playing time with veteran nickel backs such as Patrick Robinson and P.J. Williams."
There’s a reason that many analysts had high marks on Gardner-Johnson and he’s apparently showing it his first offseason with New Orleans. This is an athletic and versatile piece in the secondary that can make plays on every level.
Furthermore, his bad tape early in his collegiate career should not have counted against him as much as it clearly did. Yes, he was a questionable player in 2017 but once he got under the watch of a new coaching staff in Gainesville, he finally started to realize his physical and natural gifts as a more polished football player.
Those things should only further blossom with the Saints. As stated by Triplett, Gardner-Johnson is a movable piece in the secondary that can line up on the back end but also has experience covering in the nickel. With that type of versatility and given his talent, he’s going to be hard to take off of the field.
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From the moment that the Saints traded up and landed Gardner-Johnson in the fourth round, he appeared to be a massive steal in the 2019 draft. With what he’s showing this offseason, that point will likely only be proven further as time wears on.