Tag: Christian Gonzalez

10 defensive backs for the Eagles to watch at the 2023 NFL combine

We’re previewing 10 defensive backs for the Philadelphia Eagles to watch 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.

We’ve previewed the edge rushers and linebackers who worked out on Thursday, and we’ll now transition to a deep class at the defensive back position.

Christian Gonzalez sells teams on his skills at the NFL Scouting Combine

Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez spoke about his press man coverage technique, his film study and more at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine

The crowd around Podium 1 at the NFL Scouting Combine was a big one for Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez. The speedy Gonzalez is often projected as one of the top candidates for the Detroit Lions at the No. 6 overall pick in April’s draft.

With many Lions-centric reporters among the crowd, Gonzalez sold his case to be that player.

Gonzalez offered up the “elevator” pitch on why NFL teams should choose him over any other cornerback,

“I’m a long, speedy, versatile corner, you know. Someone that can line up on the outside and guard a 6-5 receiver and line up inside and guard a 5-10 speedy type of receiver. Being able to be a smart player, learn very quickly. Being able to change to any type of what (type of receiver) I’m going against.”

He noted that he was proud of being able to how his ball skills in his one season at Oregon after being questioned about them during his prior time at Colorado,

“Everybody was asking if I had ball skills. I went out and showed I’ve got the ball skills to trust in. I knew I had that my whole life but you know, I just had to go and make the plays.”

One thing Gonzalez talked about in several different answers was his film study. He’s a film junkie and understands how to process what he’s seeing into on-field action. Gonzalez related how he uses film study to help his press-man coverage tehcnique–something he played a lot at Oregon.

“A lot of film study goes into that,” Gonzalez explained. “Knowing what the receiver I’m going against and how they want to go and attack me. Sometimes I’ve got to switch it up. I’ve got a lot of tools in the toolbox, so just pulling them out and keep the receiver on their feet and their toes.”

Gonzalez indicated he’s met with “lots of” teams but did not indicate any specifically. He did note that growing up with former Lions (and current Cardinals) backup QB David Blough as his brother-in-law has really helped him prepare for the NFL.

“(Blough is) someone in my direct family that I can talk to that has been through the process of playing in college, been in the league. (He’s) somebody that I talked to growing up all the time. He was always around the house. I remember playing with him when I was like 10 years old, just running around and throwing the ball. It’s all come full circle and it’s been great to have him in my corner.”

Blough’s wife, Melissa, is Gonzalez’s older sister and represented Colombia in the Olympics as a hurdler.

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All-22 from the scouting combine: Defensive backs detail their favorite plays

Christian Gonzalez, Clark Phillips III, Jaylon Jones, and Jammie Robinson detail their most notable college plays from the scouting combine.

INDIANAPOLIS — What’s your one defining moment?

Every prospect at the scouting combine has that one play which defines them to a degree — the highlight shot they think about over and over when it’s time to think about their collegiate careers.

As the defensive backs took the podiums in Indianapolis on Thursday, I thought it would be interesting to ask them which plays they thought best defined them as players. So, here’s Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez, Utah cornerback Clark Phillips III, Texas A&M cornerback Jaylon Jones, and Florida State safety Jammie Robinson on that very subject.

Christian Gonzalez details what NFL teams will get by drafting him

“What they’re getting is someone who is just going to be their best everyday.”

The 2023 NFL Combine is taking place this week in Indianapolis, giving prospective players a chance to showcase their abilities on the field while coaches and general managers ask them all sorts of questions off the field, trying to determine if they want to spend millions of dollars to get them on their team.

One of the best parts about this week is the platform it gives to players to hype themselves up and try to sell their abilities to prospective teams. This is particularly entertaining when you get a guy — Oregon Ducks cornerback Christian Gonzalez, for example — who may be soft spoken and humble.

I’ve had the opportunity to talk to Gonzalez a number of times over the past year in Eugene, and he’s never been someone to talk about himself over his teammates. So when he was asked at the combine why a team should draft him, or what he brings to the table, I was curious to hear his answer.

One of the most notable things that Gonzalez said was that he can do “multiple things from different positions.” That is something that Dan Lanning and Oregon’s staff has been stressing since they got to Eugene; the aspect of being multiple on the field and versatile in your abilities. We saw Gonzalez move around in the secondary in 2022, working either outside or inside depending on the matchup, and he excelled in both spots.

Might NFL teams look at that and bump up his draft stock? I wouldn’t be surprised.

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2023 NFL Draft: Inside the last-minute prep for the combine’s biggest names

Draft prospects have been training for weeks to ace the combine. Here’s how it looks as the clock ticks down to the on-field drills.

INDIANAPOLIS — The scene is several rooms of the lower lobby of the Omni Severin Hotel in downtown Indy. TCU receiver Quentin Johnston and Tennessee receiver Cedric Tillman are running alternating practice 40-yard dashes in a makeshift training center. Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell is stretching on the floor next to a television replaying a Steelers-Ravens game. Down the hall, a staff of nutritionists are putting together food plans for 99 scouting combine participants in which the amount of meat is measured in actual cows.

There’s a hot tub and a cold tub in a small fitness center, and in that same 40-yard dash place, there are massage tables and exercise bikes and treadmills aplenty. Tulane running back Tyjae Spears is leaping and hopping when he’s not running his own practice dashes, and guys are burning up those treadmills in frantic shifts as everybody gets ready for the biggest set of job interviews of their young lives.

The pressure isn’t just on the prospects. It’s also on EXOS, the multi-state performance center charged with making these prospects the best they can possibly be for everything from positional drills to interviews with teams. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik has been hired as a consultant to prepare everyone for the latter, and there’s a very large staff of professionals working frantically to get those last few reps in before things get very real on the Lucas Oil Stadium turf Thursday through Sunday.

EXOS’s list of combine participants reads like a lot of the first round of any mock draft when you filter it up top: There’s Johnston, Alabama edge-rusher Will Anderson Jr., Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez, Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon, LSU edge-rusher BJ Ojulari, Alabama safety Brian Branch, Tennessee receiver Jalin Hyatt, Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Florida guard O’Cyrus Torrence, Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr., and on and on.

EXOS’s efforts are just as (probably more) important for the prospects on the fringe, though — the guys who are hoping to perhaps move from the third day of the draft to the second, or from an undrafted free agent future to any part of the draft at all.

1 player Panthers fans should watch for each day of the combine

Here are four prospects, one for each day of the on-field drills, Panthers fans should keep a close eye on.

There will be a lot going on for the Carolina Panthers and the other 31 teams at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. So, let’s try to make it a bit easier.

Here are four prospects—one for each day of the on-field drills—to keep an eye on in Indianapolis this week.

10 dynamic prospects for the Eagles to watch at the NFL scouting combine

With the workouts set to begin, we’re looking at 10 dynamic players for the Philadelphia Eagles to watch at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine

The Eagles are at the NFL scouting combine and with two first-round picks for the second year in a row, they’ll look to retool with 18 pending free agents set to hit the open market.

Philadelphia could lose Isaac Seumalo and Miles Sanders on offense, but the unit is intact at the most critical positions and will likely use their six draft picks on dynamic defenders.

The Eagles have 9 key contributors on defense set for free agency, and GM Howie Roseman has acknowledged that he won’t be able to retain his core of free agents with Jalen Hurts set to land a huge contract extension.

With the onfield portion of the combine set to heat up, we’re looking at 10 dynamic prospects for the Eagles to watch.

Eagles’ biggest draft needs as the NFL Combine gets underway

We’re looking at the Philadelphia Eagles’ biggest NFL Draft needs as the Scouting Combine gets underway

The Eagles will have two first-round picks in April’s NFL Draft, 18 pending free agents, and a contract extension for quarterback Jalen Hurts, meaning the roster will look different going forward.

Some of the usual suspects or names you’ve grown to love will move on, while younger, more athletic, and dynamic replacements will join a roster looking for a return to the Super Bowl.

Philadelphia’s team brass is in Indianapolis to evaluate some of the top talent available and we’re previewing the Eagles’ biggest draft needs.

Mock draft watch: PFF’s latest 2-rounder attacks the secondary

Mock draft watch: PFF’s latest 2-rounder attacks the secondary with both first-round picks

Mock draft season is about to really ramp up with the NFL Scouting Combine taking place this week. The last gasp of pre-combine mocks are rolling out, and one of them piqued interest for Detroit with the projected plan to build up the Lions’ defensive backfield.

The latest two-round mock draft from Trevor Sikkema at Pro Football Focus goes straight to the heart of the matter. Both of the Lions’ first-round picks are in the secondary.

First up is Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez with the No. 6 overall pick, acquired from the Rams in the Matthew Stafford trade. With three QBs (Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson in order) off the board along with DT Jalen Carter and EDGE Will Anderson gone, the natural inclination is to go DB. Or, as Sikkema explains,

This is a popular spot for Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon. But for as much as I love Witherspoon, I wonder if there will be some size concerns with him, especially when the debate is between him and Gonzalez, who boasts ideal measurables at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds. You can’t go wrong with either, but I opted for Gonzalez as the top cornerback off the board in this mock.

At No. 18, Sikkema calls on one of the more familiar names getting projected to Detroit, Alabama safety Brian Branch. He’s a natural projection as the No. 9 overall prospect on PFF’s board,

Branch is a very high-floor defender with a skill set that can fit into every defense in the NFL.

The two second-round picks go in divergent directions than most mocks do for Detroit. At No. 49 overall, Michigan DT Mazi Smith gets the nod. Smith is a physical freak with potential to help bolster the pass rush and depth on the defensive line.

The other second-rounder, the one acquired from the Vikings in the T.J. Hockenson trade, is the first to hit the offensive side of the ball. Tennessee WR Cedric Tillman is a big target on the outside who can win jump balls and get reliably open on comebacks and combo routes. He is also one of the best blockers in the class, a trait the Lions absolutely value in their wideouts.

It’s an interesting strategy in doubling down on the defensive backfield, but with no free agency additions in the mix, it makes sense. Both Smith and Tillman are projected higher here than they normally are, but they do fit the Lions’ scheme and needs.

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Commanders land help at key positions in 3-round mock draft

The Commanders land help at key positions in a new 3-round mock draft.

The Washington Commanders introduced new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy this week. Adding Bieniemy was a coup for Washington as it enters the fourth season of head coach Ron Rivera’s tenure in 2023.

With the coaching staff mostly complete, Washington will add 2-3 more assistants; the Commanders can look to retaining their own free agents and adding to the roster.

Washington has some decisions with its roster before free agency begins next month. But before free agency begins, we have the NFL combine. This week, Luke Easterling of Draft Wire dropped his latest three-round mock draft pre-combine. Who did Easterling send to Washington?