Christian Gonzalez: Grading the Patriots’ No. 17 overall NFL Draft pick

The Patriots were expected to have the No. 14 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but they traded down with the Steelers and allowed Pittsburgh to snag the offensive tackle it wanted. With that new 17th overall pick, New England decided to address the need of a cornerback in Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez.

If you’re a Patriots fan, you have to like this pick as Gonzalez is a great man-to-man cornerback and he’s one of the more physical corners with great ball skills.

I was expecting to see him go a little higher than No. 17 based on his skillset.

The Patriots needed defensive back help and they got it with a three-year starter in the Pac-12. He started two seasons with Colorado, racking up 78 total tackles and 10 pass breakups before transferring to Oregon for the 2022 season. As a Duck, he broke out and had 50 total tackles with four interceptions and seven pass breakups.

Scouts love his long frame and the Patriots are getting a 6-foot-2, 200-pound corner who excels in man coverage and can be that lockdown No. 1 cornerback on a team’s best wideout.

Grading the Patriots’ selection of Christian Gonzalez

Under Dan Lanning, Gonzalez seemed to flourish. That just shows that he can be elite with the right defensive coaching and he’ll get that in New England.

I think the Patriots are going to be able to throw him into the starting mix right away and he’ll be able to respond positively. He’s going to be a really good NFL cornerback for years to come.

Grade: B+