With the No. 17 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots have selected Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez. New England originally possessed the No. 14 overall pick but elected to trade back to No. 17 with the Pittsburgh Steelers to pick up a fourth-rounder. Despite that move back, Gonzalez was still on the board when they were on the clock at No. 17 and New England swooped in to take the talented corner to add to a secondary that includes veteran Jonathan Jones and second year player Jack Jones.
A former four-star recruit out of The Colony High School in Texas, Gonzalez played his first two seasons at Colorado before transferring within the Pac-12 to Oregon. It turned out to be a rewarding decision, as the athletic, smooth defender established himself as one of college football's best defensive backs, racking up four interceptions to go along with seven pass breakups and 50 total tackles.
Below is a comprehensive draft profile for Gonzalez, including his scouting report, prospect ranking, pro comparison, combine results, college and high school accolades and overall NFL outlook.
NFL Draft grade: A
I had him ranked as the top corner in this draft. For him to fall this far is amazing to me. The Patriots traded down and still filled a major position of need. Nice job. -- Pete Prisco
Join us for live 2023 NFL Draft analysis from CBS Sports and an updating NFL Draft tracker. Also check out Pete Prisco's NFL Draft grades for every first-round pick and subscribe to the "With the First Pick" podcast for nightly recaps, winners and losers and more from Kansas City.
Christian Gonzalez draft profile
- Age: 20
- Hometown: Carrollton, Texas
- Interesting fact: His dad, Hector, played basketball at UTEP, while his sisters, Melissa (Texas) and Samantha (Miami) ran track and field in college (both All-Americans)
- CBS Sports prospect ranking: No. 7 overall | No. 1 CB | 92.03 rating (All-Pro)
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NFL Combine measurements/results
Height: 6-1 | Weight: 197 lbs | Arms: 32" | Hands: 9 1/2"
- 40-yard dash: 4.38 seconds
- Broad jump: 11 feet, 1 inch
- Vertical jump: 41.5 inches
- Bench press: 14 reps
NFL comparison
Scouting report
Christian Gonzalez has great length and good top-end speed to be a man coverage cornerback in the NFL. He can improve as a press man coverage cornerback by landing his jams more consistently. Despite improved ball production, Gonzalez can do a better job of getting his head back to the ball and breaking down his feet to tackle in space.
Strengths
- Great length
- Does an excellent job of using the sideline as an extra defender
- Flips his hips and gets up to speed quickly
- Good timed speed
Weaknesses
- Improved ball production in 2022, but needs to get eyes back to the ball more consistently
- Inconsistent landing jams in press man coverage
- Can do a better job of breaking his feet down in space to make a balanced tackle
College stats, accolades
| Year | Games | Tackles | TFLs | PD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 (Oregon) | 12 | 50 | 1.0 | 7 | 4 |
| 2021 (Colorado) | 12 | 53 | 5.0 | 5 | 0 |
| 2020 (Colorado) | 6 | 25 | 0.0 | 5 | 0 |
Honors
- 2022 (Oregon): First-team All-Pac 12 (coaches, Phil Steele)
- 2022 (Oregon): Second-team All-Pac-12 (AP, PFF)
- 2020 (Colorado): Honorable mention All-Pac-12
Notable statistics
- 2022: Four interceptions (third most in Pac-12)
247Sports profile
High school: The Colony (The Colony, Texas)
Class: 2020
Composite Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0.8958)
- National: 326 | S: 31 | Texas: 46
High school accolades: All-Midlands Regional team (PrepStar), two-time first-team All-District 5-5A
Check out Christian Gonzalez's full 247Sports profile, here. For his MaxPreps profile, click here.
