New England Patriots defensive back Christian Gonzalez still carries the motivation from being the third cornerback taken on the 2023 NFL draft board.
The Patriots traded down to No. 17 on the board and still came away with Gonzalez in the end. It was one of the biggest steals of the draft. Devon Witherspoon and Emmanuel Forbes were the other two cornerbacks drafted ahead of Gonzalez.
Seeing his name fall on the draft board angered Gonzalez, who truly believed he was one of the best cornerbacks in the class. He came in viewing himself and Witherspoon as the 1A and 1B of the draft class, in no particular order.