Sauce Gardner spoils NY Jets draft pick with anonymous 'report'

Nobody seems to know what direction the NY Jets will take in this year's 2024 NFL Draft even as we sit just hours away from the start of the event. Nobody except for Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner apparently.

Gardner took to social media Thursday morning to share a "report" on what the Jets plan to do in the first round of the draft. The All-Pro cornerback is insisting that the Jets plan to draft either a defensive back or a defensive lineman with the 10th overall pick.

Yes, you read that right. Gardner asserts that the Jets' first-round target is a defensive player. It's safe to say that pick wouldn't go over very well with Jets fans, especially after last year's Will McDonald fiasco.

The good news is that this is Sauce Gardner we're talking about. It seems clear that he's joking around and intentionally stirring the pot ahead of tonight's draft. Just memes folks, don't worry.

No, the NY Jets won't draft a defensive player in the first round

The Jets have been connected to a variety of prospects leading up to this year's draft. From top wide receivers like Rome Odunze to a "generational" tight end prospect like Brock Bowers to highly-touted offensive linemen like Olu Fashanu, the Jets have an abundance of options at their disposal.

Few, if any, have projected the Jets to target a defensive player in a noticeably weak defensive class. This is one of the strongest wide receiver and offensive tackle classes in recent memory. If the Jets pass on both positions to draft a defensive player, the outrage will be severe and justified.

Notable defensive linemen in that range who would likely appeal to Jets head coach Robert Saleh are players like Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner, UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu, and Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II.

Saleh influenced the Jets' decision to select McDonald over numerous top wide receiver prospects last year. Someone needs to lock him in a room for the first couple of rounds to ensure that doesn't happen again.

Thankfully, Gardner is likely just messing around here. I'm not sure the "Just trust me bro" source would hold up in a court of law.