Tag: Christian Gonzalez

Former Buff Christian Gonzalez turning heads during first summer with Patriots

Forever Buff and first-round pick Christian Gonzalez is turning heads during his first summer with the Patriots

Although he transferred out of Boulder for his final college football season, Christian Gonzalez remains a forever Buff who Colorado fans should be rooting for as he begins his NFL career.

The two-year CU cornerback improved his draft stock last fall at Oregon and was selected 17th overall by the New England Patriots in April. He’s now navigating his first NFL OTAs and rookie minicamp this summer.

According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated’s MMQB, Gonzalez is living up to his first-round hype and was the Patriots’ “best corner during OTAs and minicamp.”

If Gonzalez can continue to impress this preseason, the rookie could very well crack a spot in the Patriots’ starting lineup come Week 1.

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Bill Belichick reveals defensive plan for rookie CB Christian Gonzalez

Bill Belichick opened up a bit on the Patriots’ plan for rookie first-round pick Christian Gonzalez.

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Rookie first-round draft pick Christian Gonzalez figures to be a key part in the New England Patriots’ secondary.

The former Oregon standout has been turning heads over the course of OTA’s and minicamp. In addition to impressing on the field, he is also learning the ropes of the NFL in real time.

Learning the ropes of the NFL will be important for a player like Gonzalez, who might be thrown into the equation right away. Patriots coach Bill Belichick sat down for an interview with the 33rd Team on Tuesday. He revealed that being a member of the New England organization is more than just showing up on Sundays. Spring is where it all begins.

“In the spring, the plan is always kind of the same for these guys. Bring them in, let them learn how to be a professional football player and a New England Patriot. That encompasses a lot of things, how to study, how to train, how to prepare, you know, how to learn the terminology and communicate with your teammates and so forth.

We’ll work him out at a number of positions, again, like we do almost all players at this point in time in the spring. Then, we’ll narrow down a bit when we get to training camp. Ultimately, he is most likely going to be a perimeter corner. But. I think there’s other situations where he could play inside or play in the deeper part of the field, depending on what the call is or how things present themselves, from a game plan structure, from time to time.”

How the Patriots utilize Gonzalez will be fascinating, as he has tremendous athleticism and playmaking skills.

He has the potential to be a big-time versatile asset for a defensive unit that already has a strong foundation. New England might need him to provide a spark immediately in an AFC East division loaded with offensive talent.

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Bill Belichick discusses Christian Gonzalez and drafting strategy

Bill Belichick gave insight into the Patriots’ draft strategy when it came to rookie first-round pick Christian Gonzalez

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The New England Patriots selected Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez with the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Many fans and media alike predicted New England would select a wide receiver. The need for a top receiver was important for the Patriots, but the front office had other plans.

New England decided to go defense and add depth to the cornerback room. Gonzalez is coming off a season with Oregon that saw him record four interceptions and 50 total tackles. He has already been a minicamp standout, and he could be even more of an important piece with the current situation surrounding Jack Jones.

Bill Belichick doesn’t necessarily subscribe to the theory of drafting for needs. When speaking with The 33rd Team’s Andy Benoit, he admitted that he prefers the approach of taking the best player available on the draft board.

“When we go into the draft, we don’t really target one guy. Need isn’t as big of a criteria as good football players. I learned that at the Giants in ‘94 when we took Carl Banks. We had [Lawrence] Taylor obviously, and it was kind of like ‘Why are we taking another outside linebacker?’ As it turned out, that was probably one of the better picks that we had at the Giants.

“…I don’t think it’s about where you need a player. If you’ve got a good football player, nobody’s ever gonna regret that. I’m glad Gonzo was there. I think when you just go and look for one guy and then he is not there, there’s other players in the draft that can help us as well. He’s been great to work with, and, you know, look forward to getting him ready to go for training camp.”

Gonzalez certainly has the opportunity to inject life into the secondary as the Patriots will face some potent passing attacks just within their own division.

The Gonzalez pick also reaffirmed the team’s strategy to continue to load up on the defensive side of the ball. It ensured the Patriots will have impact players for years to come.

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10 biggest OTAs and minicamp standouts for Patriots

Who stood out the most for the Patriots during the spring practices?

The New England Patriots have finished up the last of their spring practices and will be taking the next few weeks off before returning in late July for training camp.

Even though the players weren’t in pads, things clearly got competitive on the practice field. Just ask Anfernee Jennings, Christian Barmore and Cole Strange, who were all involved in a brief dust-up during organized team activities.

We didn’t get a full course meal, but we were able to feast on enough appetizers to know this team is ready for training camp. The defense could be a real juggernaut in 2023, and the additional playmakers, particularly the rookies, could play a major role right out of the gates.

Meanwhile, the offense has shown real strides in the spring practices. This is no longer the predicted train wreck unit is was last year around this time.

Here are the 10 biggest standouts during the spring practices for the Patriots:

Patriots LB Matthew Judon excited by potential of defense

Matthew Judon is pouring praise on the Patriots’ defense.

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New England Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon is excited about the potential of the defense with training camp nearing. The linebacker met with the media on Tuesday, telling the assembled reporters that New England has “unicorns” on the defense.

The Patriots will look to return a unit that includes veterans like Josh Uche and Jabrill Peppers. Uche emerged as a pass-rusher last season and recorded 11.5 sacks on the year. Peppers was a big part of the safety room for New England, recording 60 tackles in his first season with New England.

On the other hand, the Patriots also has promising rookies that are developing. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez and linebacker/safety Marte Mapu are just some of the names that are getting good praise throughout camp.

Judon seems excited about it all.

It will be fun to see all these pieces fit, as New England looks to return a defensive unit that ranked second in the NFL last season. They’re going to need a cohesive unit to survive their brutal regular season schedule.

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5 takeaways from Day 2 of Patriots’ mandatory minicamp

The Patriots defense is firing on all cylinders, and the offense looks improved.

It was another strong day for the New England Patriots in their second official outing at mandatory minicamp. The offense wasn’t a catastrophe, and the defense looked like a potential juggernaut in the making.

As far as attendance is concerned, it wasn’t much better on Tuesday, but most of the players were accounted for on the practice field.

Veteran defensive tackle Lawrence Guy, who is believed to be holding out for contract reasons wasn’t on the field, and the team was also still missing offensive guard Michael Onwenu, along with wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton.

The list of absences are as follows:

  • WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
  • WR Tyquan Thornton
  • G Michael Onwenu
  • WR Kayshon Boutte
  • EDGE Keion White
  • DT Justus Tavai
  • CB Quandre Mosely

The Patriots have one more minicamp practice remaining on their schedule before the team breaks until training camp in late July. Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s practice:

6 Patriots players that could be featured on future ‘Madden’ cover

Could one of these players be the Patriots’ next “Madden” cover athlete?

Throughout the history of EA Sports’ Madden video games, the New England Patriots have only had two players grace the front cover, which is saying more than most teams.

Madden NFL 24 revealed on Wednesday that Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was being featured on the front cover of the newest addition to the popular game franchise.

On one hand, it’s easy to feel excited for such an incredible and deserving player like Allen, but on the other hand, it’s the Bills we’re talking about here.

How great would it be to see another Patriots player join Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski as the third player in New England’s history to be featured on the front cover of Madden?

Let me preface by saying this is a fun list that weighs personality just as heavily as talent on the football field. I’m taking both into consideration when picking these six Patriots players that could be future Madden NFL cover models.

What Devin McCourty is hearing from Patriots players on Christian Gonzalez

Patriots players are already buzzing about rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez.

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There is an unusual amount of excitement behind closed doors from New England Patriots players in regards to the otherworldly potential of rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez.

Legendary safety Devin McCourty might no longer be in the locker room, but he still has great connections with players within the Patriots’ organization. The things he’s hearing about Gonzalez in organized team activities has even made him reconsider his own way of thinking in relation to rookies and veterans.

“I hate when people rank rookies over guys who have had success in the NFL, but I’ve talked to some of those guys and they’re like, ‘Man, Gonzalez, he can play,'” McCourty said on Good Morning Football, via NESN’s Zack Cox.

The Patriots haven’t transitioned over to padded practices yet. So, we’re still only getting a sneak peek of Gonzalez in helmets and shorts. But even in a limited setting, Gonzalez continues to do things on the field that keeps people talking.

The next Patriots OTAs practice available to media members is expected to be held on Friday afternoon. Gonzalez was lining up with the top defensive unit on Tuesday, which means he’s already trending towards being a Day 1 starter.

At the next practice, he’s sure to have countless eyes on him, eager to see if the hype train is real.

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WATCH: Patriots rookie Christian Gonzalez snags ridiculous one-handed circus catch

Christian Gonzalez is built different.

Christian Gonzalez is one of the most athletic players that has ever stepped through the doors of Gillette Stadium.

There’s a reason why the excitement level is through the roof for the New England Patriots’ 2023 first-round draft pick before he even takes a meaningful NFL snap.

Patriots veteran safety Kyle Dugger talked about how “effortless” Gonzalez makes things look on the field, while linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley labeled the rookie as a “technician.”

But who needs words when there’s video evidence of the former Oregon standout defensive back’s on-field play speaking for itself? At Tuesday’s OTAs practice, Gonzalez wowed onlookers with this ridiculous one-handed circus catch.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning recently said Gonzalez looks like a Madden creation on the football field. He even noted that Gonzalez was good enough to defend and play wide receiver, if the Ducks needed him to help out on offense.

Judging by the one-handed catch, it’s hard to argue with Lanning that the Patriots landed a truly rare and special athlete at No. 17 overall at the 2023 NFL draft.

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Patriots rookie CB Christian Gonzalez getting rave reviews at OTAs

Christian Gonzalez is drawing good reviews from teammates and media early on

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New England Patriots rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez is living up to the hype, and he has been able to impress both coaches and teammates.

NESN.com’s Zack Cox noted that Gonzalez looks like a “plug-and-play starter.” This would be a tremendous boost for the New England secondary and provide further validation of Gonzalez’s selection in the first round. The rookie tallied four interceptions last season at Oregon in addition to 50 total tackles.

His work ethic has been noticed by his teammates as well. When speaking with media members, safety Kyle Dugger talked up Gonzalez’s on-field abilities, saying he made everything seem “effortless.”

New England has had a history of developing at the cornerback position.

J. C. Jackson and Jonathan Jones are just some of the more recent examples. Ty Law is another example from years gone by. New England has been criticized over the years for not developing certain positions, but corner is a spot where they have been able to get a lot of production.

The Patriots undoubtedly need a weapon in the secondary to compete with the offensive talent in the AFC East. Gonzalez has the potential to be that weapon, and he is making a strong first impression so far.

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