Christian Gonzalez was on the more surprising falls in the 2023 NFL Draft, and there might be a key reason why.
The New England Patriots selected the Oregon product in the first round after trading down in a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, which also served to hurt the New York Jets. The 20-year-old was viewed as one of the steals of the draft, and on paper, he appears to be a perfect fit for Bill Belichick’s defense.
But Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard spoke to evaluators in an article published Friday to figure out why Gonzalez, who multiple experts mocked in the top 10, fell to No. 17 to the Patriots.
The issues included “mental toughness, emotional issues, maturity and physical toughness,” a top executive told Bedard. A scout also told Bedard there were “no issues with him,” but they believe he might need a lot of positive reinforcement based on a “gut feeling.” That’s despite describing the corner as a person that will get in the building early and work his tail off, which sound like traits Belichick would value in a player.
“Christian isn’t an alpha, but he’s also not a punk either,” the scout told Bedard. “He may not be a killer, but he’ll rise to the challenge and at least be a guy that you can live with in the run game. I don’t think Christian’s a punk. I think just the confidence piece. Not a concern, but something I think you just need to build with the kid.”
Bedard pointed out how this might be an old-school way of viewing players and believed cornerbacks coach Mike Pelligrino is the right coach for Gonzalez. Players like Jonathan Jones, Jack Jones and Marcus Jones have emerged as valuable pieces in New England’s secondary, and first-team All-Pac 12 player has the potential to also make an impact right away.
Scouts also had concerns if Gonzalez would face the pressure of being compared to his older sisters, who are track stars, according to Bedard. One of his sisters, Melissa Gonzalez, is a four-time South American champion and represented Colombia at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
It’s an odd thing to point out. The closest comparison to that critique was when there was concern for Reggie Miller being in the shadow of his sister, Cheryl Miller, but the siblings each became legends in their own right.
It’s possible the concerns scouts raised about Christian Gonzalez are legitimate, but it’s also possible teams looked too much into superficial details and didn’t focus enough on the kind of talent they could be getting in the first round, which Bedard pointed out the Patriots’ history of doing just that in the NFL draft.
