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NFL league executives, coaches and scouts are high on Christian Gonzalez.
The Patriots star ranked No.
3 on ESPNs rankings of NFL cornerbacks.
He shut everything down when we played him, an NFL offensive coach told Jeremy Fowler.
We couldnt squeeze a drop.
He was the main reason why.
Size, ball skills, can play press or man, hes got it all.
In 14 games for New England last season, Gonzalez totaled 69 tackles, 10 passes defended and one tackle for loss.
Despite the high rank, one evaluator doesnt believe Gonzalez is always physical enough on the field.
His game is a bit finesse at times, the personnel evaluator told Fowler.
But hes got tons of traits long, can run and cover.
The idea of the position is to cover the other guy, and he can do that very well.
Gonzalez has proven to be a strong corner throughout his young career.
That figures to continue in 2026, but a contract holdout has kept the 24-year-old away from OTAs, though he did take part in mandatory minicamp in June.
The Patriots exercised Gonzalezs fifth-year option for 2027 in April, which added another year to his contract.
Hell make $18.119 million in 2027.
Gonzalez is eligible for an extension, which could come with a market-resetting pay raise.
Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie is currently the NFLs highest-paid CB, making $31 million per season.
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