FOXBORO – Christian Gonzalez certainly has the desired profile to be a fixture on defense for many years to come. The Oregon cornerback, taken with the 17th overall pick by the Patriots, has future star potential written all over him.
Given his athletic traits, he could very well be added to the list of great defensive first-round picks made by Bill Belichick, joining such luminaries as Richard Seymour (2001), Ty Warren (2003), Jerod Mayo (2008), Devin McCourty (2010) and Dont’a Hightower (2012) in the pantheon of all-time best first-rounders.
But let’s not put the proverbial cart before the horse.
It’s up to Gonzalez and the Patriots to turn that potential into NFL stardom.
Because, when it comes to cornerbacks, the Pats have been all over the map. They’ve hit it out of the park with undrafted free agents (Malcolm Butler, J.C. Jackson, Jonathan Jones), but don’t have the best batting average when it comes to developing their higher round picks at the position.
Outside of McCourty and Asante Samuel, a fourth-round pick in 2003, most cornerbacks drafted early haven’t exactly panned out.
Second-round picks Joejuan Williams (2019), Duke Dawson (2018), Cyrus Jones (2016), Ras-I Dowling (2011), Darius Butler (2009 and Terrence Wheatley (2008) are just a few names on the cornerback flop list.
And while it looks like both Jack Jones (2022, 4th round) and Marcus Jones (2022, 3rd round) will fall on the positive side of the ledger, there’s much more of an onus on Gonzalez to be a stud given where he was selected.
Mike Pellegrino, the cornerbacks coach for the Patriots, knows the score, and he’s looking forward to the challenge of bringing out the best in the smooth-moving Gonzalez.
“Personally, I get excited any time we get a new guy. Whether it’s a free agent, a lower draft pick, an undrafted free agent, I love working with new guys,” Pellegrino said Friday during a media availability with the assistant coaches. “That’s my passion … that’s my favorite part of the job. You get to help mold a guy, to help them play to the best of their ability.”
Gonzalez was rated as a top 10 pick – and in some cases, the top corner on the board – only he slipped down the board to the Patriots, who moved down from No. 14 to No. 17.
Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon was the first corner taken, going No. 5 to Seattle. Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes went at No. 16, one pick before the Patriots took Gonzalez.
Was it simply a matter of luck, or perhaps a brilliant strategy that the Patriots landed a blue chip talent where they did?
Or did something prevent teams from taking him early?
Most knocks on Gonzalez range from him either needing a heightened level of aggressiveness or tenacity, to perhaps being a bit too lean, and or needing to take advantage of his athleticism a little more.
So it’s nothing too dire. Even so, it still behooves the Patriots to get the best out of Gonzalez because the expectation is for the rookie to be a Day 1 starter, and longtime fixture in the Patriots secondary.
Of course, none of the members of the coaching staff available Friday would make that leap one day after Gonzalez was selected.
“He’s a good young football player. You can’t have enough of those,” said Patriots safeties coach Brian Belichick. “He’s an exciting guy to work with, build, and like all young guys who come into the system, work hard, get better, and hopefully will be able to have a role and contribute to the team.”
Whether it was Pellegrino, Brian Belichick, or even linebackers coach Jerod Mayo, they all watched film on the cornerback prospects and provided their two cents if asked.
Patriots personnel head Matt Groh had indicated Thursday night, that the recommendation of offensive line coach Adrian Klemm, who was at Oregon last season, also factored in.
“(When) you’ve got a coach who’s on your staff you know you’re getting the truth on the player, good and bad,” Groh said. “There’s that comfort level. Coach Klemm was with Christian, call it eight months, so definitely a great resource.”
Klemm doubled down on that Friday when asked about the Patriots 2023 first-round pick.
“He was a big playmaker for us, so I was always aware of him,” said Klemm. “Obviously, he was our best player on the team, probably.”
Specifically, what did Klemm like?
“When we needed plays to be made, he was the guy that was making those plays, and he made them routinely. He’s someone we could count on, and I expect it to be the same here, and even more elevated with additional coaching,” he said.
Klemm pointed to the Patriots emphasis on teaching and developing as to why he expects Gonzalez to grow.
It also bodes well that Gonzalez transitioned well, as he was at Colorado for two seasons before transferring to Oregon last season.
Klemm couldn’t say enough about the kid.
“He was a natural leader. He’s a guy that doesn’t say much, but just is a leader by his play,” Klemm said. “Just a strong character kid. He wasn’t in my (offensive line) group, but is somebody that I noticed just because of the way he practiced every day and the mentality he had.
“He’s just all about his business. It really was like a business deal for him (transferring to Oregon). He came in just on a bigger stage and it worked out for him. He did all the things he was supposed to do and was expected of him — he probably exceeded expectations — and it’s paying dividends.”
He also has to pay dividends for the Patriots. They can’t afford to miss on a can’t-miss prospect.