As the NFL season approaches, ESPN and other major magazines continue to announce their rankings of players ahead of the forthcoming season. At ESPN, coaches, scouts, and front-office executives have been voting on the best ten players at each position.

One player who is constantly polarizing in league circles is the New York Jets standout cornerback Sauce Gardner. This season, Gardner was ranked as the third-best cornerback in the league after being named the second-best prior season.

Gardner is easy to defend and has the resume to back it up as he was targeted only 57 times last season while allowing only 366 yards and two touchdowns according to ESPN. Despite his fantastic track record, another unnamed executive had a negative opinion of Gardner:

The concept that Gardner holds on every play is ludicrous and it’s either coming from an executive who passed on Gardner and regrets it or from a rival of the New York Jets. The fact of the matter is the Jets received a transformational talent at one of the most crucial positions in the sport.

The New York Jets defense is changed by Sauce Gardner as opposing quarterbacks generally avoid throwing to his side of the field. T

he play of Gardner has aided this Jets defense in limiting opposing offenses which has been vital with uneven quarterback play. If the Jets can get a complete season out of Aaron Rodgers with players like Gardner and Quinnen Williams on defense, the Jets will be a favorite in the AFC.

The Yankees are now enjoying the MLB All-Star break as the team’s All-Stars fly south to Texas to enjoy the festivities. The New York Yankees front office, however, is busy with the 2024 MLB Draft as the organization seeks to rebuild a prospect pool that has been hurt by transactions like the one the team made for Juan Soto.

On Day Two of the MLB Draft, the New York Yankees looked to one of the top programs in College Baseball for its next crop of prospects.

The Yankees used the 89th overall pick in the MLB Draft on right-handed starting pitcher Thatcher Hurd from LSU. In three seasons of college baseball, Herring recorded a 13-6 record with a 4.84 ERA across 141.1 innings of work, striking out 188 batters.

When LSU won the College World Series in 2023 Hurd was amazing. He pitched six innings, allowing just two runs on two hits, winning LSU the National Championship. Matt Blake will be tasked for working with Hurd as he has an electric arm but has trouble with command.

The Yankees then returned to Baton Rouge selecting LSU relief pitcher Griffin Herring with the 181st overall choice in the draft. If the Yankees can convince Herring to sign rather than return to college, this pick may be considered one of the steals of the draft.

This season, LSU utilized Herring as a reliever where he posted a 1.79 ERA with a 6-1 record and six saves. Herring has ability as a terrific starter akin to Michael King as he proved pitching 6.1 innings of relief for LSU in the NCAA Tournament.

Through six rounds of the MLB Draft, the Yankees have taken six pitchers clearly showing that the franchise wanted to add pitching depth to the minor league ranks.

The Yankees approach is the proper one since young pitchers on team-friendly agreements are the best asset a team could have especially in trade talks. If the Yankees can hit on a few of their early selections, these components might potentially enter the rotation or become big trade commodities for the Yankees.