The New England Patriots got the steal of the first round when they selected cornerback Christian Gonzalez out of Oregon. One year after surprising everybody with the Cole Strange selection, the Patriots pulled a complete 180 and took a guy at 17 that most expected to be off the board within the first 10 picks.
Obviously, only time will tell if this selection works out, as the NFL Draft is an inexact science. However, based on both film and statistical metrics, Christian Gonzalez is a star in the making and Patriots fans should be rejoicing that they landed a player this talented.
How Christian Gonzalez Fits the New England Patriots
Christian Gonzalez the Prospect
As mentioned in his NFL Draft profile, Christian Gonzalez looks like he was built in a lab to play the cornerback position. At 6′-1″ and 197 pounds, Gonzalez has the size to match up with receivers of any size, jam them at the line, and prevent them from getting into their routes. While bigger cornerbacks sometimes struggle to follow shiftier guys, that won’t be an issue for the Oregon State product. Gonzalez possesses insane change-of-direction abilities, especially for a player his size. Quite frankly, there isn’t a single type of receiver he isn’t qualified to cover and take out of the game.
Christian Gonzalez locking down receivers man to man
Love a guy with elite traits who trusts his athleticism, and you see that in Gonzalez's patience from press + his calmness downfield pic.twitter.com/o6nFPzf2aw
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) April 28, 2023
Cornerback is one of the hardest positions to play in football, so it is inevitable that Gonzalez will lose a few matchups from time to time. Fortunately, even when he does get beat, it’s never for long. The first-round pick possesses insane recovery ability, so quarterbacks only have a small window to hit their man even when Gonzalez loses a route.
While Gonzalez is an amazing prospect, he’s still human, which means he isn’t perfect. Despite his strong build, he sometimes plays a little too cautiously, which allows the opposing receiver to win contested passes while Gonzalez tries a little too hard not to draw a flag. Additionally, he’s not exactly a ballhawk, as he didn’t record an interception until his Junior year. This isn’t due short arms, he just doesn’t react super well to the ball in the air.
Fortunately, these issues are fixable. Bill Belichick is one of the best in the league at developing cornerbacks, and it shouldn’t be long before Christian Gonzalez is a star for the Patriots. For every Cyrus Jones, there is a Jonathan Jones, or a Malcolm Butler, or a JC Jackson – you get the idea.
Scheme Fit
If Christian Gonzalez’ skillset sounds familiar, it’s because he’s very similar to former Patriots lockdown cornerback Stephon Gilmore. Just like Gonzalez, at his peak, Gilmore possessed elite size and strength along with the ability to follow wide receivers all across the field. Gilmore was the best cornerback in football at his peak, and nobody should expect Gonzalez to be THAT good, but he has a very clear path to being a top-10 cornerback in this league.
The Patriots had a good defense last year, but they outperformed expectations despite a lackluster cornerback depth chart. Jack Jones and Marcus Jones both showed promise, but neither player possesses Gonzalez’ upside. With Christian Gonzalez, New England now has one of the best cornerback depth charts in the league, and that’s fantastic news for the Patriots scheme.
Historically speaking, Bill Belichick’s defense is at its best when they have an elite cornerback that can lock down one side of the field for the entire game. Looking back over the years, Gilmore, Darrelle Revis, Ty Law, Aqib Talib, JC Jackson, and, to a lesser extent, Malcolm Butler all gave the Patriots a ton of defensive flexibility, as Belichick could scheme up crazy plays for the other 10 players knowing that the opponents’ top receiver would not toast his top cornerback.
That defensive flexibility is back in play. While the Patriots still have a lot of work to do to fix their offense, their defense should remain one of the best in the league thanks to the Christian Gonzalez selection.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
