Sauce Gardner laughed at the suggestion that he counts as a three-time first-round draft pick.
“If I have to be the first-round pick the next two years, I’m going to work regardless,” said Gardner, the No. 4 overall pick in 2022 whom the Jets traded last October to the Colts for 2026 and 2027 first-rounders.
“There’s already a lot on my plate being me, but it ain’t [something] I can’t handle.”
The long-awaited draft started Thursday, but six teams that went big-name shopping over the past year and traded their first-round pick — the Colts, Packers (Micah Parsons), Broncos (Jaylen Waddle), Bengals (Dexter Lawrence), Jaguars (Travis Hunter) and Falcons (James Pearce Jr.) — had to sit idly until Friday as the other 26 teams began adding talent.
Maybe that’s not as devastating as it sounds — at least for the teams that traded out of the back half of the first round like the Packers, Broncos and Jaguars.
“Pretty heavy up at the top,” Patriots executive vice president Eliot Wolf said, per ESPN, in his evaluation of the draft class, “then maybe from, call it No. 25 to No. 50, is sort of the same level of player.”
Here is a look at what needs those six teams — left out of first-round mock drafts — could address:
Bengals (No. 41)
Both starting cornerbacks are free agents after the season, so the Bengals could get a jump on replacing DJ Turner II and/or Dax Hill.
This part of the draft also is a sweet spot to add a linebacker, after Browns second-round linebacker Carson Schwesinger won 2025 Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Throw in swing tackle, too.
Possibilities: LB Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech; LB CJ Allen, Georgia; CB Chris Johnson, San Diego State; CB Brandon Cisse, South Carolina; OT Caleb Tiernan, Northwestern.
Colts (No. 47)
Defense, defense, defense in a playoffs-or-bust season.
Their needs are similar to the Bengals’: Linebacker sticks out like a sore thumb, and they need a defensive back, especially a nickel/safety, because Kenny Moore II has requested a trade.
Improving the pass rush is important, too. A big-bodied receiver would complement the in-house receivers.
Possibilities: Allen; LB Anthony Hill Jr., Texas; DB Keionte Scott, Miami; CB D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana; WR Malachi Fields, Notre Dame.
Falcons (No. 48)
It was stunning during the 2025 draft when the Falcons traded their first-rounder (wound up No. 13) and more to select Pearce (No. 26).
It sure would be nice to have No. 13 to draft Makai Lemon or Omar Cooper Jr. into the receiving corps. Instead, that could be the direction for the second round.
The Falcons don’t often draft players from Georgia, but this could be two years in a row doing so.
Possibilities: WR Germie Bernard, Alabama; WR Zachariah Branch, Georgia; OL Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon; DT Christen Miller, Georgia; CB Keith Abney II, Arizona State.
Packers (No. 52)
The Packers default to using top picks on athletes in the defensive front seven, so that’s certainly a path forward.
Cornerback, including the nickel, looks like a spot for rookie reinforcements who could become starters in 2027.
And the offensive line depth is shaky. When it comes to backups, the franchise looks for guard/tackles or guard/centers who offer gameday flexibility.
Possibilities: Scott; Tiernan; OL Gennings Dunker, Iowa; edge Gabe Jacas, Illinois; edge Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State.
Jaguars (No. 56)
A second-round theme is starting to emerge with playmaking inside linebackers, but there are especially big shoes to fill here after All-Pro Devin Lloyd exited.
Another way to improve the run defense is to address defensive tackle.
The depth behind starting edges Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker also could use an upgrade.
Is Bhayshul Tuten really ready to be a starting running back in a committee?
Possibilities: RB Jadarian Price, Notre Dame; Hill; LB Josiah Trotter, Missouri; DT Gracen Halton, Oklahoma; edge R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma.
Broncos (No. 62)
One of the most balanced rosters in the NFL truly is set up to pick the best available player.
Fastballs Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper collapse the pocket off the edge, but a versatile defensive lineman with some inside pass rush ability would be a luxury pick.
Head coach Sean Payton is always looking for someone to fill his “Joker” do-it-all weapon on offense.
Possibilities: Price; Miller; TE Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt; TE Max Klare, Ohio State; DT Darrell Jackson Jr., Florida State.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
