Rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner, taken fourth overall in the 2022 draft by the Jets, covers some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby ahead of the kickoff to the season.

Q: Is there any sauce you don’t like?

A: I like all sauce, for real. Everything that got sauce on it, I really like it.

Q: Is there ever a food that you’d never put sauce on?

A: (Pause) I was gonna say like fish, but I had barbecue sauce on fish before. But that’s not something that I like do on the regular. It was decent.

Q: Eggs? You put sauce on eggs?

A: I don’t really like eggs.

Q: Give me whatever you think about these sauces: Bourbon honey mustard?

A: I never had that one before.

Q: Spicy garlic?

A: That’s decent. I had spicy garlic wings before.

Q: Teriyaki?

A: I like teriyaki.

Q: Original barbecue?

A: That’s kind of basic, but it’s cool. My sauce is a little spicy.

Q: There’s a name for your sauce?

A: Sauce Sauce.

Q: That’s a good name. What is unique about Sauce Sauce?

A: Like I said, it’s not just any kind of barbecue sauce. It’s spicy too, so you get a different taste of all the flavors, man. It’s crazy, you’ll just have to try.

Q: Caribbean jerk?

A: I had it from a place called Island Fridays. They had like this jerk chicken, this Caribbean jerk chicken.

Q: So you put that on the chicken, you mean?

A: Yeah, that’s how it comes, it’s called Caribbean jerk chicken. It’s pretty decent.

Q: Tabasco sauce?

A: It’s cool. I ain’t had that since I was younger though.

Q: Soy sauce?

A: I like soy sauce.

Q: Tartar sauce?

A: It tastes OK. I ain’t too heavy on that though. My mom likes that on her fish.

Q: Duck sauce?

A: I don’t know if I ever had duck sauce.

Q: Cocktail sauce?

A: I like that. I like that on my shrimp.

Q: Tomato sauce?

A: It’s cool.

Q: Apple sauce?

A: I like apple sauce.

Q: Describe your on-field mentality.

A: I’d say like a dog mentality, just having a mentality that I could stop whoever lined up in front of me. I have the mentality that I’m the best in the league even though I’m a rookie.

Q: What drives you?

A: Family … my mom, ’cause she helped me get in this position. One of the main things also is where I come from. Growing up in Detroit, it wasn’t easy. Didn’t get any handouts, nothing was given, I had to earn everything. I wasn’t fortunate to have good circumstances coming up. My living situation wasn’t too good, but at least I had a roof over my head. That was cool, but I wasn’t fortunate to like get the things that I wanted to get for like Christmas or stuff like that.

Q: What was the biggest thing you wanted that you couldn’t get for Christmas?

A: I remember I wanted a flat screen TV. I remember I wanted a big one, I couldn’t get it.

Q: What was the most difficult or saddest thing about your upbringing?

A: I don’t know … like I done seen everything that it is to see. Even though I was an athlete, I didn’t have many ties to anything else, I was just an athlete. The thing about Detroit, it’s like anything can happen at any moment. I’ve seen a lot of stuff, seen stuff happen to people. On my way back from practice, and I just see something happen, I just gotta go to the house. I’ve seen a lot of stuff that don’t make no sense type of stuff.

Q: What’s the worst thing you ever saw?

A: I’ll probably say … seeing somebody get shot.

Q: Killed?

A: Yeah.

Q: How old were you?

A: I think I was in high school. Actually, my mom doesn’t even know about it. I was probably like 14 probably.

Q: How far away were you?

A: I was walking out of the barber shop. … I was on the corner of the block, and then there’s a liquor store like right there. So it was just like this random dude, he didn’t even look homeless, he probably was. He had reached in this dude’s bag, was trying to take this dude’s bag. Whatever the dude bought when he was in the store, he tried to take it. I was just thinking like, “Why is he trying to take somebody’s bag from the store?” It ain’t like he was trying to take his wallet or nothing.

Q: You don’t smoke or drink. Why is that?

A: I got people in my family who did stuff, being under the influence. And I had friends who used to do it. That was just the common norm … high school, middle school. I was always saying, like, if I want to do something that’s not common in Detroit, which is making it out, I gotta do something different, I can’t do the same thing what everybody else doing. ’Cause everybody really had dreams of playing football professionally in Detroit, a lot of people had dreams, but they’re not doing the right things to align with their dreams and goals.

Q: Will your mom be at the game?

A: Yeah, she’s gonna be here … my brother [Allante] … my sister [Alexis]. … I ain’t really seen her, she’s been doing her thing with real estate, she been making something happen, man. … My uncle just got married, he’s gonna be there … grandma, she’s gonna be there … financial advisor … gonna be a lot of people.

Q: I’m gonna be there, too.

A: OK. Looking forward to it, man (smile). But for real though, that’s why I’m always so happy and smiling and stuff, ’cause like I went through a lot of stuff but it just made me appreciate life way more.

Q: What would a dream game on Sunday look like for you?

A: Anytime the ball gets thrown my way, pick it. Flying around the field making plays on the ball.

Q: Describe the feeling of a pick-six.

A: When you first catch the ball, especially if you’re picking off a receiver like breaking on a throw downhill, when all you see is the end zone, it’s a great feeling, you’re just thinking to get there. When you get there, emotions are just going crazy, it’s a great feeling for sure.

Q: What would a pick-six of Lamar Jackson feel like?

A: It’d be crazy. I’ve been visualizing myself make them type of plays for sure.

Q: Do you expect Lamar and quarterbacks to target you because you’re a rookie?

A: Definitely. … I’m looking forward to it. I hope that’s what happens.

Q: Did you ever get bored at college in Cincinnati because quarterbacks wouldn’t throw your way?

A: Nah, I already knew like it was bigger than just college. Like I had a goal, I wanted to play professional football, so even when the ball not coming my way — all right, the ball not coming his way, what is he doing when the ball is not coming to him? I know that’s still gonna be evaluated, so I just had to make sure I was giving my 110 percent every, every play.

Q: Has there been any criticism that you thought was unfair or bothered you?

A: I never got bothered by criticism at all. I just pray about everything, and God’ll take care of the rest. That’s just how I am.

Q: Did your mother raise you alone?

A: I had a father, but she was just the main parent. When times got rough, she was always there for me.

Q: Describe her.

A: She’s a very strong woman. I’ve probably only seen her cry one time, and that’s when I was about to go to college. And I remember my auntie kept saying, “Oh, I know you’re gonna be sad,” and this and that. She like forced it out of my mom. My mom was acting, “Nah, I ain’t gonna be sad, he gotta do this.” She was acting like she was cool with it, but my aunt forced it out of her. She feels like she can do whatever she puts her mind to, and I feel like that’s where I got that from.

Q: If you could intercept any quarterback in NFL history, who would it be?

A: Tom Brady. Even though he’s still playing right now, ever since I was younger, he was that guy so I’m looking forward to that.

Q: If you could go 1-on-1 against any receiver in NFL history?

A: Ochocinco [Chad Johnson]. … ’Cause that was my favorite receiver when I was in high school when I played receiver. He talk a lot of trash, I want to see it he’s still got it.

Q: If you could pick the brain of any cornerback?

A: I’ll say [Darrelle] Revis. I’m a New York Jet right now, and he was one of the guys that I was watching when I was in college, high school. He was real smart, and I heard he had great football IQ.

Q: Favorite tattoo?

A: I got a few. I got “Empath” right here [on right forearm], you know, like empathy?

Q: Why that one?

A: Me going through so much stuff, I feel like God brings certain people around me who are going through stuff, so I’m able to relate to stuff and help people out. I’m able to connect with people who are going through stuff. It wasn’t like I’m trying to favor them ’cause they went through something, it’s just like a natural connection. When you got people that went through a lot of stuff, and they passed or is currently going through stuff, they naturally navigate towards the people who also went through stuff. I feel like that’s my purpose, to be a servant. I got my mom’s name tatted right here [on right shoulder], a red heart with her name [Alisa]. And I got [on left forearm] this right here. It says, “Pain is like rain, it goes away for the moment but it comes back again.”

Q: Why that one?

A: You can’t control a lot of stuff. God got plans for certain people. You can’t control everything, stuff just happens.

Q: Among your teammates, if you weren’t named Sauce, who would be the logical candidate to be named Sauce?

A: That’s a hard one … probably Quinnen [Williams].

Q: Why Quinnen?

A: He probably acts like that ’cause of me. He’s always saying something about sauce.

Q: He likes sauce as much as you do?

A: I don’t know about as much as I do, but he likes sauce. I gave him some of my sauce, and he was just telling me about he had his family trying it. They loved it.

Q: How many teammates have tried your sauce?

A: I don’t know. … I know both Michael Carters tried it. … Quinnen tried it … my coaches tried it.

Q: Everybody liked it?

A: Yeah. I didn’t get one bad review.

Q: Head coach Robert Saleh?

A: I don’t know if Coach Saleh tried it.

Q: What did you sing at training camp?

A: “Street Runner.”

Q: How’d you do?

A: I was decent. I didn’t get too many boos. I got a lot of claps.

Q: Two dinner guests?

A: Barack Obama, Jesus.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: “The Temptations.”

Q: Favorite actors?

A: Denzel Washington, Will Smith.

Q: Favorite actress?

A: Gabrielle Union.

Q: Favorite entertainer?

A: Kevin Hart.

Q: Favorite rapper?

A: Rod Wave.

Q: Favorite meal?

A: Chicken alfredo.

Q: You’re already a fan favorite.

A: I ain’t gonna lie: Being like a fan favorite, it boosts my confidence a lot. Being an already confident person, the fact that I could just be like this in New York, New Jersey, it boosts my confidence even more. The fact that I’m gonna be able to go out there and play on Sunday in front of all the fans, that’s gonna be a huge confidence boost.

Q: What are your career goals?

A: I really want to be Defensive Player of the Year, but Defensive Rookie of the Year, Pro Bowler, All-Pro … I got a lot of goals. That’s just for this year. I want to be a Hall of Famer, I want to win Super Bowls. I just want to leave a legacy in this game of football. I don’t know what I gotta do, but I want to do something that has never been done before.