With each passing game, it seems like more of a steal that the Patriots were able to select Christian Gonzalez with the No. 17 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Gonzalez was the third cornerback drafted after a somewhat unexpected slide to the middle of the round where New England happily picked him and poised him to be the team’s No. 1 corner, latching onto opposing No. 1 wide receivers every week.
Speaking to Patriots writer Evan Lazar, Gonzalez explained why he feels he slid later into the first round than originally expected.
“The knock on me was that I don’t talk a lot, and people thought I wasn’t competitive,” Gonzalez said.