FOXBORO, Mass. — Adrian Klemm couldn’t say much about the skills and nuances that made Christian Gonzalez one of the top cornerbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft. He’s an offensive line coach, after all. It’s not his job to study players in secondary.
But Klemm and Gonzalez both spent the 2022 season at the University of Oregon. And though the trenches were his focus, the veteran coach couldn’t help but marvel at the talented cover man who would become the Patriots’ top draft pick.
“He was a big playmaker for us, so I was always aware of him,” Klemm, New England’s first-year O-line coach, said one day after the Patriots traded down three spots to select Gonzalez at No. 17 overall. “Obviously, he was one of our better players — our best player on the team, probably.”
After starting every game over two seasons at Colorado, Gonzalez transferred to Oregon last offseason, following cornerbacks coach Demetrius Martin from Boulder to Eugene. The Texas native immediately excelled for the Ducks, grabbing four interceptions with 11 passes defended to earn first-team All-Pac-12 honors. His ball skills and tackling improved, and he even pitched in on special teams with a blocked field goal.
After opting to skip his senior season and then showcasing his elite athleticism at the NFL Scouting Combine, Gonzalez widely was viewed as either the best or second-best cornerback in this year’s draft and a top-10 overall prospect. His surprise slide to No. 17 could prove to a major draft steal.
Klemm, a good friend of Martin’s from their time together at UCLA, also was in his first season at Oregon in 2022 after spending the previous three with the Pittsburgh Steelers. It didn’t take him long to recognize Gonzalez’s pro potential.
“He’s a guy that just made big plays continuously,” Klemm said. “There were a number of times where there’s a turnover, and he’s the guy running off the field with the ball in his hand. When we needed plays to be made at Oregon, he was the guy making those plays, and he made them routinely. He was somebody that we can count on, and I expect it to be the same here, and even more elevated with the additional coaching.”
Klemm also saw understated leadership traits from Gonzalez, who started 30 games in college but doesn’t turn 21 until June.
“He was a natural leader,” the coach said. “He’s a guy who doesn’t say much but just is a leader by his play. Strong character kid. He wasn’t in my (position) group, but he was somebody that I noticed just because of the way he practiced every day and just the mentality that he had. He’s just all about his business.”
Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh said Klemm was a “great resource” as the team was evaluating Gonzalez. His experience inside the Oregon program helped New England paint an unfiltered picture of how the rookie would fit in as a player and person.
“Unique situation when you’ve got a coach on your staff,” Groh said Thursday night after Round 1 concluded. “We’ve got enough relations with some great coaches around the country. Certainly with (Oregon head) coach (Dan) Lanning and getting to know him down at Georgia and Marshall Malchow, who really runs their personnel. We’ve got great relationships there.
“But when you’ve got a coach who’s on your staff, you know you’re getting the truth on the player, good and bad. So that allows you (to have) that comfort level. Coach Klemm was with Christian, call it eight months, so he was definitely a great resource. … We spend a lot of time trying to get to know who these guys are as players and as people, so we definitely appreciate Coach Klemm’s input.”
