Who won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year 2022? A look at New York Jets' budding defensive star

New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award for 2022, and the contest wasn't even close.

The Cincinnati University alum was arguably the best cornerback in the NFL, so it was difficult to imagine any other rookie coming close to his stellar performances. Gardner was the best player on his team from Week 1, and his covering skills made the Jets a nightmare to play against.

Gardner bagged the Defensive Player of the Year Award by a wide margin, as he racked up 242 points and 46 first-place votes. The second place in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting went to defensive end Aidan Hutchinson of the Detroit Lions, who totaled 129 points. Third place went to Tariq Woolen, a cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks, who garnered 73 points and one first-place vote.

The Defensive Rookie of the Year Award was hardly ever in contention, as Sauce Gardner proved that he was miles above any defender in his draft class. He impacted the New York Jets on another level, and it's great to see that the rest of the league noticed that.

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How did Defensive Rookie of the Year Sauce Gardner perform in 2022 NFL season?

Sauce Gardner had a phenomenal rookie season, playing out of his mind. Remember that there was a time when no wide receiver had scored a touchdown on him?

Yes, that went on for a while, and Gardner only faced two touchdowns throughout the season, clearly the best stat line among corners in the NFL. Gardner helped the Jets to remain respectable, and they would likely have fared significantly worse without the fourth overall pick at CB.

Gardner padded the stat line all season long, and you can tell from his 2022 season numbers. He put up a stat line of 75 total tackles (51 solo and 24 assisted), plus two interceptions for good measure in 17 games. Alongside fellow Jets star Garrett Wilson, Gardner was an amazing lottery pick-up for the oft-laughed-at New York Jets. The future is looking super bright for the Green Gang.

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Sauce Gardner's Fantasy Outlook for the Season

Sauce Gardner was a fabulous fantasy asset, and the fourth overall pick of the 2022 NFL draft balled out all season.

He made what used to be a shake Jets' secondary become one of the most feared in the league, and he did so with so much sauce. Gardner was a truly deserving winner of the 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year award, and his points and first-place votes tallies clearly indicate that.