The New England Patriots went on their usual NFL Draft night antics, trading to collect more late-round picks, but still drafted Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez with the 17th pick. Gonzalez, who transferred to Oregon after two seasons in Colorado, has a versatile skill set and was effective both in coverage and against the run, tallying four interceptions and 50 tackles last season. he kicks in 12 starts. He fills an immediate need for the Patriots, who were looking for a cornerback to pair with Jonathan Jones. He’ll be competing with a pair of second-year players in Jack Jones and Marcus Jones. Veteran Jalen Mills is also in the mix, but he is expected to return to safety after re-signing in free agency. Gonzalez said he’s focused on competing right away, inspired by seeing cornerback Sauce Gardner’s impact for the Jets as a rookie. Gardner was All-Pro for the first time last season. “It means a lot to be able to see someone come in and have an instant impact. Hopefully I want to do the same,” Gonzalez said. “I just want to go in there, compete and learn… I’m really excited for the opportunity to learn from the best.” Gonzalez was in Kansas City, Missouri to walk the stage afterwards of his team, which many tipsters expected to happen sooner.He acknowledged that he was surprised to have slipped a bit on the board, but said he was happy to be able to represent his Colombian heritage by wearing an all-white kit.Custom suit with sewn-on Colombian flag inside. His father, Hector, was born in South America and moved to the US when he was 18 to play basketball at UTEP. Gonzalez described his game as “versatile, fast, long, tall, he can move.” “Someone who wants to learn all the nuances of defense and how they all build together,” he said. The 20-year-old is a native of Carrollton, Texas, a northern suburb of Dallas. He has at least one trade during the project to 19 years. During the tenure of coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots declined to make a draft-day trade only once, in 2004. The Patriots, who had the 14th pick prior to the night, made a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers once. they were on the clock, earning the 17th pick and a fourth-round pick. With Patricia out and Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator, the Patriots could look to further revamp the offense to help get quarterback Mac Jones back on the right track. New England ranked 17th in scoring offense and 26th in total offense last season, a significant drop from the 2021 season. New England allowed Jakobi Meyers, the team’s leading receiver in each of the past three seasons, and Nelson Agholor signed elsewhere in free agency, but the Patriots were able to land wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is coming off a Super Bowl title with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Patriots were also able to land tight end Mike Gesicki in free agency from the division rival Miami Dolphins after trading tight end Jonnu Smith to the Atlanta Falcons just two years after a four-year, $50 million contract. New England also bolstered its offensive line by adding Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson in free agency. The team allowed 41 sacks last season compared to 28 in 2021 and allowed 2018 first-round pick Isaiah Wynn into free agency. This year’s draft will consist of seven rounds with a total of 259 picks.Patriots Draft Tracker:Round 1 – Pick 17 – Christian Gonzalez (From Steelers)Round 2 – Pick 46Round 3 – Pick 76 (From Panthers)Round 4 – Pick 107 (Of Rams)Round 4 – Pick 117 Round 4 – Pick 120 (Of Steelers)Round 4 – Pick 135 (Compensatory Pick)Round 6 – Pick 184 (Of Raiders)Round 6 – Pick 187 (Of Panthers)Round 6 – Pick 192Round 6 – Pick 210 (Compensatory Pick) Round 7 – Pick 245 (From Bills to Falcons)
The New England Patriots went on their usual NFL Draft night antics, trading to collect more late-round picks, but still drafted Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez with the 17th pick.
González, who transferred to Oregon after two seasons in Colorado, has a versatile skill set and was effective in both coverage and the run, notching four interceptions and 50 tackles last season.
González was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection after leading Oregon with four interceptions and seven pass breakups, recording 50 tackles and one kick block in 12 starts.
He fills an immediate need for the Patriots, who were looking for a cornerback to pair with Jonathan Jones. He’ll be competing with a pair of second-year players in Jack Jones and Marcus Jones. Veteran Jalen Mills is also in the mix, but he is expected to return to safety after re-signing in free agency.
Gonzalez said he’s focused on competing right away, as he was inspired by seeing cornerback Sauce Gardner’s impact for the Jets as a rookie. Gardner was All-Pro for the first time last season.
“It means a lot to be able to see someone come in and have an instant impact. Hopefully I want to do the same,” Gonzalez said. “I just want to get in there, compete and learn… I’m really excited for the opportunity to learn from the best.”
Gonzalez was in Kansas City, Missouri, to walk across the stage after his selection, which many forecasters expected to happen sooner.
He acknowledged that he was surprised that he slipped a bit on the board, but said he was happy to be able to represent his Colombian heritage by wearing an all-white custom suit with a Colombian flag sewn inside. His father, Hector, was born in South America and moved to the US when he was 18 to play basketball at UTEP.
González described his game as “versatile, fast, long, tall, that can move.”
“Someone who wants to learn all the nuances of defense and how they all build together,” he said.
The 20-year-old is a native of Carrollton, Texas, a northern suburb of Dallas.
New England ended their streak of making at least one trade during the draft at 19 years. During head coach Bill Belichick’s tenure, the Patriots refused to make a draft-day trade just once, in 2004.
The Patriots, who had the 14th pick before the night, traded with the Pittsburgh Steelers once they were on the clock, earning the 17th pick and a fourth-round pick.
With Patricia out and Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator, the Patriots could look to further revamp the offense to help get quarterback Mac Jones back on the right track. New England ranked 17th in scoring offense and 26th in total offense last season, a significant drop from the 2021 season.
New England allowed Jakobi Meyers, the team’s leading receiver each of the past three seasons, and Nelson Agholor to sign elsewhere in free agency, but the Patriots were able to land wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is coming off a Super Bowl title with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Patriots were also able to land tight end Mike Gesicki in free agency from the division rival Miami Dolphins after trading tight end Jonnu Smith to the Atlanta Falcons just two years after a four-year, $50 million deal.
New England also bolstered its offensive line by adding Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson in free agency. The team allowed 41 sacks last season compared to 28 in 2021 and allowed 2018 first-round pick Isaiah Wynn into free agency.
The 2023 NFL draft takes place Thursday through Saturday in the plaza outside Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri. This year’s draft will consist of seven rounds with a total of 259 selections.
Patriots Draft Tracker:
- Round 1 – Pick 17 – Christian Gonzalez (From Steelers)
- Round 2 – Pick 46
- Round 3: Pick 76 (from Panthers)
- Round 4 – Pick 107 (From Rams)
- Round 4 – Pick 117
- Round 4 – Pick 120 (from Steelers)
- Round 4 – Pick 135 (Compensatory Pick)
- Round 6 – Pick 184 (from Raiders)
- Round 6 – Pick 187 (from Panthers)
- Round 6 – Pick 192
- Round 6 – Pick 210 (Compensatory Pick)
- Round 7: Pick 245 (from Bills to Falcons)
