New Orleans Saints: DB Chauncey Gardner-Johnson
In every draft, there’s that one guy who inexplicably drops down the boards despite tape that shows him to be an NFL-caliber player right out of the box. When I watched Florida defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, I had him rated 35th overall in the 2019 draft class, and I thought he had the potential to improve a defense in several different spots. Like Malcolm Jenkins, who was selected by the Saints in the first round of the 2009 draft and excelled there before going on to help define the Eagles’ pass defense for a number of years,
If the Saints got their next Malcolm Jenkins, they did so for far less draft capital. Gardner-Johnson fell to the 105th overall pick in the fourth round, and he’s proven to be one of the steals of his class. Gardner-Johnson has played 547 snaps this season: 83 at the line, 103 as a box defender, 268 as a slot cornerback, 24 as an outside cornerback, and 69 as a free safety. Overall, he’s allowed 31 receptions on 48 targets for 198 yards, 48 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, one interception, and an opponent passer rating of 88.8.
But as a slot cornerback since Week 13, Gardner-Johnson has turned into an absolute nightmare for opposing quarterbacks and receivers. In that time, he’s allowed two catches on six targets for 18 yards, 14 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, one interception, and an opponent passer rating of 2.8. No, that is not a typo. Two-point-eight.
Gardener-Johnson is an impressive athlete, but it’s his awareness that stands out, especially for a rookie. On this interception of a Matt Ryan pass in Week 13, he starts off with tight coverage of receiver Justin Hardy from the left slot. Not satisfied to take Hardy away, Gardener-Johnson makes his presence known over the middle of the field on Ryan’s deeper throw to Russell Gage. When you run tight man coverage of any kind, it really helps to have a slot defender who can handle more than his first responsibility. Gardener-Johnson has that, and it’s made all the difference for a Saints slot position that is highly questionable outside of his efforts.
