Christian Gonzalez, considered one of the top two cornerbacks in the draft by many outlets, figured he would be a top ten pick.
But that’s not exactly how it played out. He dropped down the board a bit before the Patriots gobbled him up at No. 17.
Was he surprised to wait so long before hearing his name?
“I mean a little bit. But it all happens for a reason,” Gonzalez said during a video call. “God has a plan. So I am trusting his plan.”
Gonzalez, ultimately the third corner chosen after Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon, and Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes, did have a pre-draft visit in Foxboro, and expressed his gratitude to be headed to New England, playing for Bill Belichick.
“I’m very excited to play under him,” he said. “You can’t really get a better coach than that. So I’m just excited to learn, go in there and just compete.”
Gonzalez played two seasons at Colorado before heading to Oregon, where he flourished his one season there.
He had 50 tackles with 11 passes defensed and 4 interceptions this past season.
“I’m just somebody that’s versatile, fast, long, tall, and that can move around and somebody that loves to learn and just wants to learn all the nuances of the defense and, and how (we can) build together,” Gonzalez said when asked to describe his style of play.
The young cornerback indicated he enjoyed his visit with the Patriots.
“It was a great atmosphere. Ball gets played up there, so I’m really excited just to get up there,” he said.
Gonzalez is the first defensive player the Patriots have taken in the first round since Texas tackle Malcom Brown in 2015. He is also the first cornerback taken by the club in the first round since 2010, when Devin McCourty was taken at No. 27.
For Gonzalez, basically it’s a dream come true.
“Definitely it’s been a dream since I was five, six years old when I started playing football. It’s kind of surreal,” he said. “It’s hit, but I don’t think it’s truly hit. Maybe when I lay down in bed and just breathe again. I’m very excited. I don’t have a lot of other words. It’s just so much excitement that the day finally came, and the phone rang.”