The Ducks’ secondary was better as soon as Christian Gonzalez stepped onto the Oregon practice field last Spring.
He is doing the same thing on the next level with the New England Patriots.
According to PatriotsWire, Gonzalez is turning many heads in the team’s mini-camp and OTAs with his play and quick grasp of the defensive playbook.
This is what writer Jordy McElroy said of the former All-Conference standout.
Like so many others, I went into the 2023 NFL draft with the former Oregon defensive standout as the No. 1 cornerback on the board. So it was surprising to still see him sitting there at No. 17 when the Patriots were on the clock. We could one day look back at that pick as one of the biggest steals of the entire draft. Gonzalez has come as advertised on the practice field with multiple players. He has size, technique and rare playmaking abilities.
Gonzalez has also made catches in summer camp that are usually reserved for wide receivers and not cornerbacks.
New England has a history of garnering elite talent in later rounds, and although Gonzalez was a first-rounder, he looks to be a lot better than your normal No. 17 pick in the draft.
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