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Christian Gonzalez (born June 28, 2002) is an American professional football cornerback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played two seasons of college football for the Colorado Buffaloes and one with the Oregon Ducks prior to being selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. He is the younger brother of Colombian-American hurdler Melissa Gonzalez.
 Gonzalez at the 2023 NFL Combine | |||||||||||||||
| No. 0 – New England Patriots | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | June 28, 2002 Carrollton, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | The Colony (The Colony, Texas) | ||||||||||||||
| College: | |||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2023 / round: 1 / pick: 17 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 13, 2024 | |||||||||||||||
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Early life
Gonzalez was born on June 28, 2002, in Carrollton, Texas. He grew up in The Colony, Texas, and attended The Colony High School, where he was rated a four-star prospect as a cornerback and wide receiver. Gonzalez initially committed to play college football at Purdue University before enrolling at the University of Colorado.[1][2][3]
College career
Gonzalez would become a full-time cornerback upon joining the Colorado Buffaloes football team in 2020. He started every game as a freshman, making 25 tackles with five pass deflections.[4][5] As a sophomore, he had 53 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and five passes broken up.[6]
Gonzalez transferred to the University of Oregon in 2022 to play for the Oregon Ducks.[7] He was named first-team All-Pac-12 after recording 45 tackles, 7 pass breakups, and 3 interceptions.[8] After the season, Gonzalez decided to forgo his remaining two years of eligibility and enter the 2023 NFL draft.[9]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+3⁄8 in (1.86 m) |
198 lb (90 kg) |
32 in (0.81 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) |
4.38 s | 1.54 s | 2.57 s | 41.5 in (1.05 m) |
11 ft 1 in (3.38 m) |
14 reps | |||
| All values from the NFL Combine[10] | ||||||||||||
Gonzalez was selected by the New England Patriots in the first round (17th overall) of the 2023 NFL draft.[11]
On September 17 against the Miami Dolphins, Gonzalez recorded his first career interception.[12] On September 28, Gonzalez was awarded with his first NFL award, Defensive Rookie of the Month for September.[13]
On October 4, after suffering a torn labrum in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Gonzalez was confirmed to have a pair of season-ending injuries, having also suffered a dislocated shoulder, that required surgery. On October 7, Gonzalez was officially placed on injured reserve.[14]
On November 24, 2024 against the Miami Dolphins, Gonzalez scored his first Touchdown on a fumble recovery. [15]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | ||
| 2023 | NE | 4 | 4 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Career | 4 | 4 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 1.0 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Personal life
Gonzalez was born to a Colombian family. His father, Hector, is 6-foot-9 and played college basketball at the University of Texas at El Paso before playing semiprofessionally in Colombia. He has three sisters, Melissa, Samantha, and Lily. Melissa (University of Texas) and Samantha (University of Miami) were two-time All-Americans in track and field, with Melissa representing Colombia in international events.[16] Gonzalez is the brother-in-law of NFL coach and former quarterback David Blough, who is married to Melissa.[3]
References
- ^ Carmin, Mike (August 6, 2019). "Texas defensive back Christian Gonzalez commits to Purdue football". Journal & Courier. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
- ^ Gladstone, Mitchell (November 18, 2019). "The Colony cornerback Christian Gonzalez commits to Colorado, flipping from Purdue". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
- ^ a b Heisen, Aaron (April 22, 2022). "No matter what, Christian Gonzalez gives everything he's got". Daily Emerald. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
- ^ Ebisuya, Carly (August 15, 2021). "CU Buffs' Christian Gonzalez jumping into leadership role with cornerbacks". The Denver Post. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
- ^ Howell, Brian (July 19, 2021). "CU Buffs position preview: CBs have talent, potential". The Denver Post. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
- ^ Crepea, James (April 6, 2022). "Why adding Christian Gonzalez was critical to what Oregon Ducks defense is aiming to do under Dan Lanning". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
- ^ Staley, Antwan (January 8, 2022). "Former Colorado cornerback Christian Gonzalez transfers to Oregon". The Register-Guard. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
- ^ Mellor, Cam (December 6, 2022). "2022 All-Pac-12 College Football Team and Individual Honors". Pro Football Network. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- ^ Scarborough, Alex (December 4, 2022). "Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez enters NFL draft, to skip bowl". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- ^ "Christian Gonzalez Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ Buchmasser, Bernd (April 27, 2023). "Patriots draft Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez with the 17th overall pick". Pats Pulpit. SB Nation. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ "Christian Gonzalez earns praise from Bill Belichick after rookie's first career interception - CBS Boston". CBS News - Boston. September 18, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
- ^ "Christian Gonzalez Named Defensive Rookie of the Month for September". Patriots.com. September 28, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
- ^ DeArdo, Bryan (October 7, 2023). "Patriots first-round pick Christian Gonzalez placed on injured reserve; Matt Judon still on active roster". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ "Dolphins 34-15 Patriots (Nov 24, 2024) Game Recap". ESPN. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
- ^ Lozano, Juan (November 6, 2022). "Oregon's Christian Gonzalez crushed old team". Our Esquina. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
External links
- Christian Gonzalez on Twitter
- Career statistics from NFL.com · ESPN · Yahoo Sports
- New England Patriots bio
- Oregon Ducks bio
- Colorado Buffaloes bio
