FOXBORO, Mass. — Jerod Mayo sees what many NFL draft experts saw in Christian Gonzalez.
The Patriots last Thursday used the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to select Gonzalez, a tall, athletic cornerback whom some believed would be a top 10 pick. The 20-year-old (21 in June) excelled during his senior season at Oregon and has the size (6-foot-1), speed and overall athleticism that teams look for in a franchise boundary corner.
The day after Gonzalez was drafted, Jerod Mayo offered his own thoughts on the rookie during a meeting with New England reporters.
“This guy, he’s tall, he’s very fluid as an athlete, he can do a bunch of different things on the field,” Mayo, whose exact role for next season remains unclear, said at Gillette Stadium. “You look at the rest of our corners, they’re pretty short. So, it’s good to have some size there.”
Mayo added: “You usually see long guys, they have a hard time changing directions. This guy is pretty fluid. So, that’s the main thing.”
The Patriots prioritized versatility with most of their 12 draft picks over the weekend. And Mayo believes Gonzalez also has the ability to line up in different spots.
“This is a guy that can play outside on the perimeter, he also can play inside,” Mayo said. “He’s a great athlete. … He’s a good press-coverage player. He does that very well. He also can play off, though.”
Still, Gonzalez slipped to the second half of the first half for a reason.
Some of the few knocks against him are questions about his willingness to tackle in the run game and to play a physical brand of football. Asked about both of those issues, Mayo paused for a moment before acknowledging Gonzalez will need to make some improvements.
“He’ll come up and tackle,” Mayo said. “At the same time, this is a different level. So, it’s definitely something to work on.”
We won’t have to wait much longer to see Gonzalez in action for the Patriots. Voluntary offseason practices begin May 22 with five sessions scheduled through the end of May. New England then will conduct five mandatory minicamp practices from June 2 through June 9.
Reporters will be granted access to some, but not all, of the OTA and minicamp sessions.
