Patriots fans must wait a few months to watch Christian Gonzalez in game action, but they already can get a sneak peek of the first-round pick on the practice field.
New England on Wednesday shared a video of the young cornerback running through drills during rookie minicamp. The Patriots last month used the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to select Gonzalez, who projects as a star-caliber corner in the pros.
It's hard to watch that clip and not think of what Patriots coach Jerod Mayo recently said about the 6-foot-1 Gonzalez.
"This guy, he's tall, he's very fluid as an athlete, he can do a bunch of different things on the field," Mayo said the day after Gonzalez was drafted. "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."
New England is scheduled to begin voluntary offseason training activities (OTAs) next Monday, with reports getting their first access Thursday. Mandatory minicamp will start in mid-June before the Patriots go on their summer break.
