Former NFL general manager remains in on Lions-Ahmad Gardner idea at No. 2

Former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum once mocked Ahmad Gardner to the Lions at No. 2, and he remains in on the idea as the draft gets closer.

The Detroit Lions have enough needs that nothing is completely off-limits in the 2022 draft. While taking a cornerback second overall feels aggressive, the idea has been out there.

In late March, former NFL executive Mike Tannenbaum had the Lions taking Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad Gardner with the No. 2 overall pick in an ESPN-branded mock draft. Detroit’s need for playmakers in the secondary drives the idea of making Gardner that pick, along with the notion an NFL team can never have too many good corners in today’s game.

Mike Tannenbaum remains in on idea of Ahmad Gardner to the Lions at No. 2

In a recent piece for The 33rd Team, Tannenbaum reinforces his case for the Lions to take Gardner second overall.

Starting with the evolution of teams using three or more receivers, defenses have had to adapt.  Tannenbaum has some numbers.

"So what does this mean for the Lions and Gardner? In order to evolve with the change of offensive personnel usage, defensive packages have moved heavily towards the use of nickel, which includes five DBs on the field and typically includes three CBs. As you can see, last season, 27 of the 32 teams played over 50% of their snaps in nickel formation.Considering what the Lions could have on their backend, if all goes well, why would they not look to turn a weakness into a strength and draft truly the most transcendent CB in this draft. They will be taking a weakness from 2021, where they allowed the 4th most yards per coverage snap (6.93 yards), and the 3rd highest passer rating (104.3), and make it into a true strength."

The Lions have a legit playmaker at corner in Amani Oruwariye, who had six interceptions in a breakout 2021 season. Some experience was added with the signing of Mike Hughes in free agency, but the drop-off in experience gets steep after that. Former first-round pick Jeff Okudah is coming back from an Achilles’ tear, and 2021 undrafted free agent find Jerry Jacobs is coming back from a late-season torn ACL.

If the Jacksonville Jaguars go a certain direction with the No. 1 pick (Aidan Hutchinson), though the odds of that seem to be diminishing, it feels like all bets would be off for the Lions at No. 2 in terms of who or what they’d consider.

Lions’ fans–how would you feel if Ahmad Gardner ended up being the second overall pick?