Welcome to 7 Patriots training camp questions!
Each day leading up to the start of camp, the Herald will explore one of the biggest questions facing the Pats this summer. Several pertain to the offense, which welcomed back Bill O’Brien this offseason and added JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki. Other questions cover the defense and special teams, units that might rely heavily on rookies and must overcome the loss of longtime captain Devin McCourty.
Once the Patriots hit the practice field, here’s what they must learn before the season kicks off versus Philadelphia on Sept. 10.
The first time Patriots rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez took the practice field in front of reporters, he was right where a first-round pick belongs: thrust into the first-team defense with the team’s regular starters.
That was in the second week of Patriots organized team activities practices after Gonzalez missed the team’s first open session for undisclosed reasons. In an ideal world, first-round picks are immediate starters. But it’s not just that the Patriots would like Gonzalez to start, they might need him on their first-team defense this season.
There was more latitude when Gonzalez was drafted. The Patriots had the option to start the three Jonses — Jonathan, Jack and Marcus — at cornerback, but things have changed since the offseason workout program broke in mid-June. Jack Jones’ availability is up in the air due to his legal status — he faces nine charges after firearms were allegedly found in a carry-on bag at Logan Airport — so, a player like Myles Bryant or Shaun Wade would need to step up if Gonzalez isn’t ready and Jones can’t play. It must have been a relief to Patriots defensive coaches that Gonzalez looked like he belonged during those spring practice sessions then.
If Gonzalez starts every game for the Patriots this season, he’d be in pretty rare company. Since Bill Belichick took over as head coach in 2000, only seven rookies, five of whom were first-round picks, started every regular season game: guards Logan Mankins and Cole Strange, linebacker Jerod Mayo, defensive back Devin McCourty and quarterback Mac Jones — all first-rounders — plus guard Joe Thuney and offensive lineman Mike Onwenu.
Starting the majority of games as a rookie has been a positive indication for the future of Patriots first-round picks. Linebacker Dont’a HIghtower, defensive end Chandler Jones, offensive tackle Nate Solder, defensive tackle Malcom Brown and defensive end Richard Seymour all did it. Defensive tackle Vince Wilfork only started six games as a rookie but still went on to have a Patriots Hall of Fame career, so it’s certainly not a hard and fast rule. Other players who started less than half of the Patriots’ games as rookies, including wide receiver N’Keal Harry, defensive tackle Dominique Easley, running back Laurence Maroney and safety Brandon Meriweather, didn’t fare as well.
So, it will be a good sign if Gonzalez can start right away and maintain that role in New England’s defense this season.
The 21-year-old cornerback has been praised by fellow defenders for his speed and smoothness in coverage despite his 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame.
“It’s pretty effortless just the way he does everything,” safety Kyle Dugger during OTAs. “The way he moves in and out of breaks, he runs easy. It just looks very light, very fluid. It’s easy to see.”
Gonzalez started all 30 games in which he made appearances in college during his time split between Colorado and Oregon. He let up just 39 catches on 64 targets for 495 yards with three touchdowns, four interceptions and six pass breakups as a junior in 2022 at Oregon, vaulting him into Top 10 discussion prior to the 2023 NFL Draft.
The rookie adds an element the Patriots sorely lacked with the size, speed and length to match up with more physical receivers downfield. He wound up falling in the draft and the Patriots were able to trade down and still grab him. Immediately inserting a first-round pick into the starting defense is the expectation, but it would still feel like a big win and fill a major need in the secondary.