As the Colts go through the 2026 NFL Combine this week, meeting with prospects and continuing to construct their draft boards, they do so without a first-round pick. With that comes a level of uncertainty as to who will still be available in the second round and beyond. However, just because the Colts don't have a first-round pick doesn't mean their ability to build a strong roster is diminished in any way.
After all, they have Sauce Gardner.
"The Colts have already had a good draft," ESPN's Mike Tannenbaum said. "They got a shutdown corner that has rare length, rare athleticism, he's the perfect fit in Lou Anarumo's defense. You sit there, your head's like 'We don't have a first-round pick.' No, don't. You do. It's Sauce Gardner. He's really good."
NFL Network's lead analyst Daniel Jeremiah, in a one-on-one conversation with voice of the Colts Matt Taylor, has a similar take: "Sauce Gardner's better than any corner in this draft."
"He's got rare physical traits," Jeremiah added about the 6-foot-3, 190-pound 24-year-old. "It's hard to find corners that are that big and that long. His makeup's off the charts. He's a great teammate and a great dude, so you're comfortable paying what you're paying him."
When the Colts acquired Gardner in a trade with the New York Jets just before the deadline, they sent their first-round picks for 2026 and 2027 along with wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to New York. While the trade didn't immediately pan out the way the Colts and Gardner envisioned – the All-Pro cornerback only appeared in four of eight possible games due to a calf injury – the expectations for Gardner and Lou Anarumo's defense are as high as ever.
"He could impact the game just with his ability to take a guy out of it," Ballard said on Tuesday at the 2026 NFL Combine. "I think when he played for us, it was really good. Look, wideouts are good in this league. They're going to catch balls. But when he's locked in and healthy and going, he's an impact player for us. That's what he'll be."
Unfortunately Gardner's injury was one of many the Colts had to deal with in 2025, and it ended up being somewhat overshadowed by Daniel Jones' season-ending Achilles injury and Charvarius Ward Sr.'s multiple concussions.
So, as the 2026 NFL Draft draws closer and the topic of those number one picks comes up again, here's a reminder:
That trade played out the way it did for a reason. That reason is because Gardner is one of the best in the league at what he does.
Gardner, who was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, made an immediate impact in the league as he earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and first-team AP All-Pro Honors. In 2023, he was again named a first-team All-Pro, becoming the only cornerback since the NFL merger 1970 to be named first-team All-Pro in both of his first two seasons in the league. He has started all 59 career games he's played, tallying three interceptions, 50 passes defensed, one sack and 217 tackles.
Known for his elite man-to-man coverage skills, Gardner has held opposing quarterbacks to a passer rating of 72.9 and allowed a 50.7 completion rate (105 receptions on 207 targets) when targeted in his career, per Pro Football Focus. In his four games with the Colts in 2025, Gardner was targeted 13 times and allowed seven receptions while also recording three pass breakups, also per PFF.
Since entering the league, Gardner also has Pro Football Focus' top coverage grade – 92.1 – of all current NFL cornerbacks.
It's also very much worth noting that we have not seen Gardner play alongside a fully optimized Colts defense; he and Ward only shared the field for one game, and Gardner and veteran defensive tackle DeForest Buckner have yet to play a game together.
Needless to say, there's a lot of untapped potential in Anarumo's defense.
"It'll be huge," head coach Shane Steichen said about being able to have Gardner with the Colts defense for the full season. "Obviously he's an electric player at the corner position. To have him healthy, back out there with us this year will be huge for our defense. Obviously a lockdown corner."
