Tag: Christian Gonzalez

Report: Patriots sign rookie first-round pick Christian Gonzalez

Rookie CB Christian Gonzalez has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Patriots

The New England Patriots have officially signed all of their 2023 rookies with first-round draft pick Christian Gonzalez reportedly agreeing to his rookie deal.

Training camp is officially slated to start next week for the Patriots, but the rookies reported ahead of time on Friday. Gonzalez and second-round draft pick Keion White both signed their new deals upon arrival, paving the way for the official start to their NFL careers.

The expectations are high for Gonzalez, who flashed No. 1 cornerback potential during the spring practices. As with any rookie, there will obviously be growing pains, but the Patriots are hopeful he can hit the ground running similar to what Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner was able to do for the New York Jets last season.

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Gonzalez potentially sliding into the top cornerback spot with Jack Jones playing across from him would open the way for Jonathan Jones to return to his more natural position in the slot.

It’s a promising trio that will be tested early and often in an AFC East division loaded with receiving talent.

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Christian Gonzalez rated as second-best rookie CB in ‘Madden 24’

Despite being the third CB taken in the 2023 NFL Draft, Christian Gonzalez is the second-best rookie CB in ‘Madden 24.’

The week-long event of EA Sports ‘Madden 24’ player ratings release is coming to a close, and we have just a handful of positions left to be unveiled.

Already this week we’ve seen wide receivers and safeties come on Monday, followed by defensive linemen and EDGE rushers on Tuesday. Wednesday saw offensive linemen and running backs, and today we get to see the ratings for cornerbacks and tight ends.

There are a number of Pro Ducks who play TE in the NFL, and the group of cornerbacks that is now headlined by Christian Gonzalez, a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The ratings for eight former Ducks were released on Thursday: four cornerbacks and four tight ends. Here are the Oregon numbers that were released on Thursday:

Player Name Team Name Rating
Christian Gonzalez New England Patriots 77
Deommodore Lenoir San Francisco 49ers 75
Juwan Johnson New Orleans Saints 75
Pharaoh Brown Indianapolis Colts 70
Ugo Amadi New Orleans Saints 70
Thomas Graham Jr. Cleveland Browns 69
Johnny Mundt Minnesota Vikings 66
Hunter Kampmoyer Los Angeles Chargers 57

Even as the third cornerback selected in the 2023 draft, Gonzalez has the second-highest Madden 24 rating among rookie CBs, ahead of Emmanuel Forbes (76) when was drafted a pick ahead of Gonzalez to the Washington Commanders. CB Devon Witherspoon, who went to the Seattle Seahawks with the No. 5 pick, has a 78 rating on Madden 24.

As the week goes on, we will continue to update as player ratings are released for pro Ducks.

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Ranking every position group on Patriots’ roster, from strongest to weakest

Where do the Patriots’ positional groups rank, from strongest to weakest?

The New England Patriots did a tremendous job of filling positions on their roster in the offseason, but those moves won’t truly be put to the test until the players hit the field in helmets and pads at training camp.

Some positions are obviously stronger than others with the defense remaining the main point of confidence for the Patriots heading into the 2023 season.

The defense was so good that the Patriots would have made the playoffs last season if the offense would have been able to capitalize on a couple more plays. That could be the case again this time around with nearly every defensive player from a year ago returning.

So how does each positional group rank in comparison to one another? Today, we’re ranking them from strongest to weakest to find out.

Predicting the Patriots’ 2023 starting defense before camp

Predicting the starting defense for the 2023 Patriots

Coach Bill Belichick’s defense was the star attraction for the New England Patriots last season, and it’s hard to envision that changing heading into 2023.

The Patriots continued to commit heavily to the defensive side of the ball by selecting cornerback Christian Gonzalez, defensive end Keion White and linebacker/safety Marte Mapu with their first three picks of the 2023 NFL draft.

That’s considerable firepower added to a unit returning with nearly every player from last season. Legendary safety Devin McCourty is the only starter from that team that is no longer on the roster. But then again, the Patriots are one of the deepest teams in the league at safety.

The defense will once again be a force, and here’s my 11 starters that will continue to make that happen:

How productive will Emmanuel Forbes be in 2023?

Will Forbes be the 2023’s most productive rookie cornerback?

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The 2023 NFL draft was one of the deepest in recent memory at cornerback. Four cornerbacks went in the first round, and 12 were selected through the first three rounds.

The second cornerback taken was Emmanuel Forbes at No. 16. The Washington Commanders, at least in the eyes of draft analysts, surprisingly chose Forbes ahead of Christian Gonzalez, who went No. 17 to the New England Patriots. As we learned after the draft, the Commanders liked Forbes so much there were discussions about moving up for him. They always liked Forbes over Gonzalez.

One reason why Washington was so enamored with Forbes was his ball skills. Forbes intercepted 13 passes during his three college seasons at Mississippi State and returned an FBS-record six for touchdowns.

The biggest knock on Forbes was his weight. He weighed 166 pounds ahead of the draft.

The interesting thing about Forbes’ weight, he never missed a game in college due to injury. And he didn’t mind initiating contact in the running game. While that doesn’t mean that good injury luck will follow him to the NFL, it does make you wonder if some focus too much on his size.

Remember, Forbes played in the SEC — college football’s top conference.

How effective will Forbes be as a rookie?

CBS Sports recently predicted the five cornerbacks who would be the most productive as rookies in 2023. Forbes was No. 5, behind Gonzalez, Joey Porter Jr., Deonte Banks and Riley Moss.

As we often say, rankings are subjective. So are predictions.

Here’s what CBS said about Forbes:

Forbes is one unique cat. A hair under 6-foot-1 and… 166 pounds? Skinny! But, hey, Devonta Smith was right at 170 pounds a few years ago and it hasn’t hurt him at the professional level. Plus, lighter, quicker, more explosive players are clearly en vogue in today’s NFL. So maybe Forbes fits right in.

PFF release the top 10 returning safeties in the Pac-12

The Ducks used the transfer portal this offseason to land some of the top-graded safeties going into the 2023 season.

Arguably the most important part of a team’s defense is that team’s safeties. Their No. 1 job is protecting against and discouraging the deep ball, but they also have a responsibility in the run game. Since CBs typically have smaller frames, safeties are often the primary tacklers on outside zone runs, a running style becoming more and more popular.

Last season, the Oregon Ducks struggled defensively, but they especially struggled against the run. Sure, a lot of that responsibility goes to the front seven, but with the support of consistent tackling safeties, things may have gone smoother.

On Sunday, Pro Football Focus (PFF) released a list of the top 10 returning safeties in the Pac-12, ranked by PFF grade. While a Ducks safety doesn’t top the list, Oregon has more entries than any other school, which bodes well for a more consistent and physical defense than we saw in 2022.

Here’s where Oregon’s safeties rank among the top in the conference, per PFF.

Every NFL team’s potential breakout player in 2023

From Justin Fields to Travon Walker, here’s one player from each NFL team poised for a breakout year in 2023.

The NFL offseason program is in the books, where teams have the next month off before training camp. There were some standout players from the offseason, including some who could make significant impacts in 2023.

There are a number of players around the league who are primed to make a leap this season due to their situation and/or opportunity following a busy NFL offseason, which has featured its share of change among NFL rosters.

From Justin Fields to Travon Walker, our NFL Wire editors identified one player from every team poised for a breakout year in 2023.

3 major concerns for Patriots heading into training camp

Here are three concerns for the Patriots heading into training camp

There was never any doubt that the 2023 season would be an uphill battle for the New England Patriots, but considering some of the issues currently facing their roster, things could potentially be worse off than anticipated.

No, this isn’t some attempt to snuff out all of the happy vibes heading into training camp. Make no mistake, there are still a lot of things for the Patriots to feel good about.

Bill O’Brien is back calling the offensive plays, and the defense could be a rising juggernaut. But the Patriots will still have their work cut out for them if they have any hopes of competing, much less winning, a stacked AFC East division.

Here are three major concerns for the team heading into training camp:

Biggest winners and losers from Patriots’ OTAs and minicamp

Who stood out and who didn’t at the Patriots’ spring practices?

Not everybody came out of organized team activities and mandatory minicamp a winner for the New England Patriots.

That doesn’t mean they won’t bounce back in the summer and turn things around at training camp. It’s always important to avoid overreacting to spring practices, especially when players aren’t even working out in pads.

But then again, the teams wouldn’t be meeting if OTAs and minicamp weren’t considered important offseason work. There were clearly standouts for the Patriots on the field, and on the other end of the spectrum, there were also players that struggled.

Here are the biggest winners and losers from the Patriots’ spring practices:

Christian Gonzalez turning heads in New England Patriots OTAs

Former Oregon Ducks cornerback Christian Gonzalez is quickly proving he is NFL material with the Patriots.

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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