New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez admitted he felt extra motivated to prove people wrong at the next level.
Gonzalez was the third corner taken in the 2023 NFL draft behind Devon Witherspoon and Emmanuel Forbes. The Oregon product has bounced back in a major way after missing most of his rookie season with a shoulder injury.
He is standing toe-to-toe with the best receivers in football and coming out on the winning end on a regular basis. His stellar play has begun to warrant Pro Bowl and All-Pro considerations.
“At the time, it was motivation. The knock on me was that I don’t talk a lot, and people thought I wasn’t competitive,” said Gonzalez, via Patriots.com’s Evan Lazar. “I got to the league and have shown what I can do. I guess it’s because, usually, corners are a lot more talkative and talk a lot more trash. It’s just not my game. So, they thought I wasn’t competitive.”
It’s safe to say the Patriots got one of the biggest steals of the draft with Gonzalez falling to them at No. 17 on the board. They landed a franchise cornerstone piece and a potential game-changing player for years to come.
