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Patriots’ Christian Gonzalez snubbed in another NFL ranking of top young players
Gonzalez was not included on the list of the top NFL players under the age of 25.
Christian Gonzalez earned an All-Pro nod in his first full season in the NFL.
But, the talented cornerback has continued to be snubbed when it comes to his standing among the league’s top young players.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) released its list of top 25 NFL players under the age of 25 on Monday morning, with Gonzalez not making the cut.
The 23-year-old Gonzalez earned Second Team All-Pro honors during the 2024 season, recording 59 tackles (20 solo), two interceptions and 11 passes defended over 16 games.
Despite earning a reputation as one of the best coverage corners in the league, Gonzalez also did not earn a Pro Bowl nod last year as one of the few bright spots on a 4-13 Patriots roster.
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Gonzalez was one of the few omissions on a PFF list that featured several other cornerbacks, including Kansas City Chiefs’ Trent McDuffie (No. 5), Houston Texans’ Derek Stingley Jr. (No. 13), Seattle Seahawks’ Devon Witherspoon (No. 16), Buffalo Bills’ Christian Benford (No. 18) and Philadelphia Eagles’ Cooper DeJean (No.24).
Even if Gonzalez hasn’t earned the same amount of praise as other younger cornerbacks in the league, former Patriots cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino noted last season that the Patriots standout doesn’t focus on individual accolades.
“You can talk about him however you want. All you have to do is turn on the tape,” Pellegrino said of Gonzalez. “If guys aren’t talking about him, that’s negligence. I don’t know. The guy is playing at a very high level. I don’t care what anybody says. That’s how I feel about the guy. He’s a great competitor.
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“And honestly, the thing that makes him an even better competitor? He doesn’t care about any of the awards. He just wants to win. He wants to go out there and compete. What more can you ask for out of a guy? He really doesn’t care about all the glory, all the awards. He just wants to win. That’s my message. Just watch the tape. You guys can figure it out.”
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