Tag: Christian Gonzalez

Commanders meet with two of the draft’s top cornerbacks at the NFL combine

Washington was focused on the offensive line and cornerback at the combine.

The Washington Commanders headed into the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine with a focus on two positions: Offensive line and cornerback.

While Washington met and scouted every position, it was clear from some of the formal meetings scheduled that the Commanders paid specific attention to these two positions. We produced a list of the offensive linemen who met with the Commanders.

Most mock drafts have Washington landing a cornerback from the trio of Joey Porter Jr. [Penn State], Christian Gonzalez [Oregon] and Devon Witherspoon [Illinois.]

Speaking of those cornerbacks, Washington formally met with Porter and Witherspoon at the combine. It is believed that the Commanders met with Gonzalez, but that is not confirmed.

When Porter spoke to the media, he said spent a lot of time with the Commanders and mentioned how many of his former college teammates are on Washington’s roster.

Some regard Witherspoon as the draft’s top cornerback prospect. Witherspoon and Porter fit the profile of what head coach Ron Rivera and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio love in a corner. Both aren’t afraid to stick their nose in the run game.

The Commanders were OK at cornerback last season. Kendall Fuller and Benjamin St-Juste carried the unit until St-Juste missed five of the last six games. Washington needs another starting cornerback.

Fortunately, there is depth in the second round if the Commanders choose to address the offensive line in the first round. But don’t be surprised if Porter, Gonzalez, or Witherspoon is the pick next month.

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How Christian Gonzalez compares to other top-rated CBs following NFL Combine

Christian Gonzalez got a “Year 1 Starter” grade at the NFL Combine. How does that compare to the rest of the CB class in 2023?

The NFL Combine is now behind us, which means that draft talk is going to start to really ramp up more than it already had over the next couple of weeks as we speed toward the month of April and, ultimately, the big day.

While we still have a long list of pro days to come at the top schools around the nation, offering players a chance to work out and show prospective NFL teams what they have to offer, the combine gave us a good early look at some of the best players in this year’s draft class.

Unsurprisingly, Oregon Ducks cornerback Christian Gonzalez had a great showing, putting up some of the best numbers of any player at his position and being named one of the biggest winners of the week.

How does he stack up with the rest of the cornerbacks in the class though, and where does his NFL Combine grade fall after all is said and done? That’s a question I wanted to know the answer to. To find out, I took the top 15 CBs in the 2023 class and looked how how they stacked up when it came to 40-time, vertical jump, broad jump, and overall combine grade. Here’s where it all stands in the end.

Lions post-Combine mock draft: 3 rounds of building up Detroit

Draft projections for the first three round for the Detroit Lions after the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine

Now that the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine is complete, it’s time for the barrage of post-combine mock drafts.

8 players from the Combine who stood out as potential Detroit Lions targets

It turns out, this is also the first straight mock draft we’ve done here at Lions Wire for this draft cycle. I’ve rolled out a few mock offseasons that encompass free agency and player movement along with a mock draft. Now that I’ve had a chance to observe and report on the Lions from the combine, it’s easier to formulate an idea of what might happen come draft weekend at the end of April. This covers just the first three rounds.

The picks here are projections based on what I think the Lions might do with the given picks. They do not necessarily reflect the choices I would make. There are two specific projections here that I hope prove horribly wrong, but that’s one of the things about the draft: your favorite team is inevitably, reliably going to do some things that disappoint you–even Brad Holmes and the Lions.

Before we get to No. 6, the top five played out like this in my own mental simulation:

1. Colts trade up to land Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida

2. Texans take Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

3. Panthers trade up to land C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State

4. Bears take Will Anderson, EDGE, Alabama in the trade back with the Colts

5. Seahawks take Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia (provided he’s cleared in his criminal case)

Christian Gonzalez named one of biggest winners of NFL Combine

Christian Gonzalez was as big of a winner as anyone at the 2023 NFL Combine this past week.

There were a lot of players at the 2023 NFL Combine who were able to take advantage of the opportunity and use it to boost their draft capital, but few were able to do as well as Oregon Ducks cornerback Christian Gonzalez.

Gonzalez, who was already projected to be a first-round pick heading into the combine, might have propelled himself up the board a bit based on his measurables and on-field performance.

With his 4.38 40-yard dash, 41.5-inch vertical, and 11-foot-1-inch broad jump, Gonzalez earned one of the highest draft grades among all defensive backs during the week, and he was named one of the biggest winners of the week. Here is what USA TODAY had to say about Gonzalez:

With Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon not testing or working out due a hamstring issue, Gonzalez made a strong bid to be the first cornerback selected. The 6-1, 197-pounder looked like the total package at the position, easily changing direction and snagging passes. As expected, he was a top-tier tester with a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, 41 ½-inch vertical leap and 11-1 broad jump.

We will likely get another chance to see Gonzalez perform on the field next week at Oregon’s Pro Day, but it’s going to be hard to improve his stock much more than he already has over the past week.

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Eagles draft prospects: 10 players that impressed at the NFL scouting combine

We’re looking at 10 potential Philadelphia Eagles NFL draft targets that impressed the most at the 2023 scouting combine

The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine is a wrap, and while players improved their stock greatly, we’re looking at ten potential Eagles fits that impressed the most.

With Philadelphia potentially targeting a running back in April’s draft, names like Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Zach Charbonnet were on display.

On the defensive side of the football, Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, T.J. Edwards, Kyzir White, James Bradberry, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Marcus Epps are all slated for free agency. It won’t be possible for the Eagles to bring them all back, especially once Jalen Hurts signs his new deal.

Philadelphia could look to draft a cornerback and safety with multiple free agents in the secondary.

Underwear Olympics: Stock up/down on cornerbacks after testing

Overall there were some impressive numbers from the cornerbacks.

This 2023 NFL Draft cornerback class is a good and intriguing one with plenty of talent for teams looking for corner help. Though corner is a strength of the Cleveland Browns they still need to figure out the nickel corner role. Greg Newsome II doesn’t seem to want to play the position and neither Martin Emerson Jr. nor Denzel Ward is suited for the role. The Browns got a better look at these guys at the NFL Scouting Combine.

With plenty of talent at the outside corner position as well as some intriguing options for teams like the Browns looking for a slot cornerback. Let’s take a look at the biggest movers after the scouting combine and athletic testing for corners are completed.

 

Assessing Christian Gonzalez’s performance at the 2023 NFL Combine

It feels pretty safe to say that Christian Gonzalez made himself some money at the NFL Combine on Friday…

It feels safe to say that Oregon Ducks cornerback Christian Gonzalez made himself quite a bit of money on Friday.

With the defensive backs taking the field at the 2023 NFL Combine, Gonzalez put on a show, impressing in the 40-yard dash, the broad jump, and with his vertical.

The Ducks’ defender was already projected to be a first-round pick before the combine, but there’s a good chance that he could rocket up some draft boards into the top 10 after this performance, being given the No. 1 draft score at his position group, per Next Gen Stats.

Here is our breakdown of everything that Gonzalez was able to do on Friday at the combine.

7 cornerbacks who were winners at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine

It’s a good year to need a cornerback.

The NFL combine is exciting for many reasons. One of the best days for the combine is when defensive backs take the field. How many defensive backs break 4.3 in the 40-yard dash?

For many fans, watching the DBs is exciting as you can project which cornerback will be the next Richard Sherman, Jalen Ramsey, or Tariq Woolen.

The defensive backs took the field Friday, and to no one’s surprise, we saw some eye-popping numbers. In some cases, the testing confirms what you’ve seen on Saturdays, whereas in other cases, it forces you to go back and watch more of the player. Does the athleticism at the combine match what was on the field?

The Washington Commanders need a cornerback in the early rounds of the 2023 NFL draft. They will have options. So we examine seven cornerbacks who either solidified themselves or helped themselves with their performances on Friday in Indianapolis.

This is only for cornerbacks, as Washington has good young depth at safety for once.

10 takeaways from the top defensive back performances at NFL Combine

We’re looking at takeaways and observations from the defensive back workouts at the 2023 NFL scouting combine

The Eagles are in Indianapolis for the 2023 NFL scouting combine, and all eyes within the organization will likely be on impact defenders.

Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, T.J. Edwards, Kyzir White, James Bradberry, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Marcus Epps are all slated for free agency. It won’t be possible for the Eagles to bring them all back, especially once Jalen Hurts signs his new deal.

Philadelphia could look to draft a cornerback and safety with multiple free agents in the secondary.

We’ve previewed the edge rushers and linebackers who worked out on Thursday, and here are the takeaways from the defensive back portion of the events.

5 winners from DB workouts at 2023 NFL combine

Which cornerbacks and safeties stood out most Friday?

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a foundational piece on defense in 22-year-old cornerback Tyson Campbell. The other side of the secondary isn’t as secure, though.

With the Jaguars set to part with cornerback Shaquill Griffin, the team may have a starter on the other side in Darious Williams. But finding a long-term cornerback to bookend with Campbell is a priority.

Fortunately for Jacksonville, it’s a good year to want to draft a cornerback.

On Friday, the defensive backs were on display at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine and these five stood out from the pack: