Christian Gonzalez has looked the part as Patriots’ No. 1 corner so far during training camp
"It's always good to just come out and compete against the best."
FOXBOROUGH — The pace that must be adopted to carve out a role in the NFL ranks takes some time to get used to.
For Patriots rookies like Christian Gonzalez, Demario Douglas, Marte Mapu, Keion White and others, the hours away from the practice field offers little respite from the deluge of information put upon them.
“It’s just a bunch of meetings, coming to practice, doing all that,” Gonzalez said Friday morning at Gillette Stadium. “And then you got to do it all when you get home. It’s not a lot of time. But you just got to try to soak everything in as much as you can.”
But on the field, Gonzalez hasn’t missed much of a step in his first introduction to NFL competition.
The Patriots were thrilled when the 6-foot-2 cornerback was available at the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, with Gonzalez’s frame, speed, and instincts offering hope that an already stout New England defense was adding a potential No. 1 boundary defensive back into the equation.
So far, the 21-year-old Gonzalez has yet to disappoint in whatever daunting assignment Bill Belichick and the Patriots’ coaching staff has doled out to him.
“He’s been great to work with,” Belichick said Thursday. “Very diligent. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. He’s improved every day. Still a long way to go like every rookie does, but he’s been great to work with.”
Despite the expected learning curves that come with making the jump from the collegiate ranks to the pros, Gonzalez has been tossed right into the fire throughout New England’s preseason programs.
A regular on New England’s first-team defense during minicamp, Gonzalez hasn’t been bumped from his featured spot on the depth chart now that the calendar has flipped to July.
Throughout the first three training-camp practices behind Gillette Stadium, Gonzalez has been entrenched as one of New England’s starting outside corners, primarily alongside Jonathan Jones.
“It’s fun. I go out there and get the best competition I can,” Gonzalez said.
Both Gonzalez and Jonathan Jones made life miserable for Mac Jones and New England’s quarterback corps on Friday morning.
A sputtering New England offense found little respite in the red zone against the first-team defense, with Jonathan Jones breaking up two passes intended for DeVante Parker over a four-play stretch during 11-on-11s.
Not to be outdone, Gonzalez thwarted Mac Jones’s 7-on-7 session. After breaking up a pass intended for Tyquan Thornton, Gonzalez forced an incompletion by draping himself over Kendrick Bourne.
The Patriots do boast plenty of talent in the secondary, especially in other corners like Marcus Jones and Jack Jones (if he’s eventually cleared to play in the regular season). But so far, the 1-2 punch of Gonzalez and Jonathan Jones on the outside is looking like a poised and dangerous starting combo.
“It’s been good. He’s been real with us,” Jonathan Jones said Thursday of Gonzalez’s impact. “He’s been around, he showed his personality. I’d say he’s a rookie, so it’s kind of that neat space. But he comes in, he says his voice. He’s been out there competing, and that’s what you want to see with young guys.”
As expected, it hasn’t always been seamless for Gonzalez, especially given the elevated competition that the Patriots have put in front of him.
Primarily matched up against arguably New England’s most elusive wideout in JuJu Smith-Schuster on Thursday, he was knocked for a touchdown during full-team drills. However, Gonzalez did respond by later batting down another pass intended for Smith-Schuster.
Over the last two practices, Mac Jones is 3-for-7 when targeting Gonzalez during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.
As promising as he’s been, more hurdles will await Gonzalez as camp progresses. Even though he already boasts a pro-ready frame, Gonzalez will need to add muscle and brace himself for the added physicality found at this level, especially once the pads are put on Monday morning at Gillette Stadium.
“I’m excited,” Gonzalez said of live contact during practice next week. “That’s football.”
But even with the expected physical toll and grind waiting in the weeks and months ahead, Gonzalez isn’t lacking in confidence as he tries to consolidate his spot at the top of New England’s depth chart.
“I mean confidence is always the thing. It never really came just from coming out here,” Gonzalez said. “It’s something I’ve had. But it’s always good to just come out and compete against the best. So it doesn’t get better than that.”
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