Christian Gonzalez watched 16 other names come off the draft board before he was ultimately selected by the New England Patriots with the No. 17 overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft. For a player projected to be a top-10 draft pick, an NFL dream was still realized.
That much was made apparent by seeing the former Oregon standout cornerback’s reaction behind the scenes when finding out he was going to be a Patriot.
New England’s social media team posted a video showing off Gonzalez being drafted and the immediate moments that followed, including his interaction with family members and the media. It even showed off the moment of his arrival at Gillette Stadium.
There’s a fresh face at @GilletteStadium.
Behind-the-scenes of @chrisgonzo28’s #PatsDraft experience. pic.twitter.com/MGZGNMxjl5
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) May 5, 2023
Gonzalez is expected to play a major role for the Patriots right out of the gates when joining a defensive backfield with Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones and Jack Jones.
It’ll be a fun fit for an already dynamic defense, particularly with Gonzalez being rated as the best in-game athlete of all 2023 first-round draft picks.
