Christian Gonzalez reflects on falling in NFL Draft because teams felt he ‘wasn’t competitive’

By Colin McCarthy With each passing game, it seems like more of a steal that the Patriots were able to select Christian Gonzalez with the No.

17 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Gonzalez was the third cornerback drafted after a somewhat unexpected slide to the middle of the round where New England happily picked him and poised him to be the teams No.

1 corner, latching onto opposing No.

1 wide receivers every week.

Speaking to Patriots writer Evan Lazar, Gonzalez explained why he feels he slid later into the first round than originally expected.

The knock on me was that I dont talk a lot, and people thought I wasnt competitive, Gonzalez said.

I got to the league and have shown what I can do.

I guess its because, usually, corners are a lot more talkative and talk a lot more trash.

Its just not my game.

So, they thought I wasnt competitive.

Gonzalez has built up a reputation for not talking much, if at all, even after making big plays for the Patriots.

Instead, he lets his play do the talking, and that has a lot of people talking.

New England coach Jerod Mayo threw praise at Gonzalez following the Patriots loss to the Cardinals, in which the second-year corner had another lockdown performance, keeping rookie wideout Marvin Harrison Jr.

in check for the entire game Sunday.

Hes our best player on defense, and he proved that [vs.

the Cardinals], Mayo said.

Just a guy that goes out there and competes on a down-after-down basis, and he did a good job.

#Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez vs Marvin Harrison Jr: 25 Routes 4 Targets 1 Catch Allowed 23 Yards Allowed 2 Pass Break Ups Top 2 & Hes Not 2 pic.twitter.com/ZmjVo71fyv Gonzalez has also been effective at stopping some of the NFLs top receivers such as Tyreek Hill and JaMarr Chase.

Next Gen Stats revealed Gonzalez to be the only defender in the NFL targeted on 10 or more deep balls to only allow one reception.

The 22-year-old is making a strong case for his first career Pro Bowl nod, and noted his aspirations to be an All-Pro in the near future.

All-Pro is definitely a better award than the Pro Bowl.

The Pro Bowl is all a bonus, Gonzalez said.

I mean, if it comes, it comes.

Cool.

But, yeah, definitely striving more for All-Pro.

Gonzalez is among the youngest players on the Patriots, but is already a pillar New England hopes to build on to escape the trenches of mediocrity and re-emerge as a playoff threat in the NFL.

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