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‘I truthfully consider he may play wideout’
If Christian Gonzalez doesn’t ship on the hype, it received’t be as a result of he isn’t constructed to achieve the NFL.
Gonzalez, chosen by the Patriots with the seventeenth decide within the 2023 NFL Draft, has prototypical dimension (6-foot-2) and athleticism (4.38 40-yard sprint time) for a boundary cornerback. He additionally possesses the sorts of uncooked abilities that make it straightforward to examine him making an prompt influence in New England.
In truth, Gonzalez’s traits could be a bit too excellent.
“When you had been constructing a participant in Madden, you’d create them similar to Christian, particularly for the nook place,” Gonzalez’s head coach at Oregon, Dan Lanning, lately informed Phil Perry of NBC Sports activities Boston. “He’s received size, he’s received dimension, he?s received velocity. He carries that dimension very effortlessly and he can clearly run.”
Lanning additionally believes that Gonzalez is proficient sufficient to excel in different phases.
“These are talent units you search for in a DB,” he stated on Perry’s “Subsequent Pats” podcast. “He’s received nice ball abilities. I truthfully consider he may play wideout. He could possibly be a returner as effectively, if anyone wanted that.
“We didn?t ask him to try this, however we in all probability ought to have at instances. However he has all of the talent units. So, in case you’re designing a participant, you design them throughout the mould of Christian.”
After all, Gonzalez isn’t truly excellent. There are causes he went from being a projected top-10 decide to slipping to No. 17.
Some scouts and consultants have considerations about Gonzalez’s willingness to sort out at a excessive stage and to play the type of bodily model of soccer that’s required within the NFL. Moreover, his soft-spoken demeanor reportedly scared off some groups that want their high corners to exude alpha-male vitality.
However Lanning disagrees. He believes Gonzalez’s quiet confidence is a part of what makes him a particular prospect.
“Possibly extra importantly in my thoughts is you’ve gotten the mindset,” he stated. “The final play by no means impacts the subsequent play. He’s in a position to hit the flush button actually simply. His demeanor, he’s very calculated. Some folks would possibly take it as a scarcity of ardour. That’s not the case in any respect. The man’s extraordinarily passionate, however he’s very targeted and he’s in a position to play throughout the second.
“So, I feel the Patriots are getting a extremely good one. I’ve had numerous actually good DBs, and he ranks up there as excessive as any.”
We’ll get our first have a look at Gonzalez subsequent Wednesday when the Patriots welcome reporters to considered one of their offseasons practices. The place Gonzalez strains up is considered one of simply many storylines we’ll be monitoring over the subsequent few weeks.
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