New England Patriots Draft Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez 17th Overall

After two years at Colorado, Christian Gonzalez had himself a breakout season at Oregon in 2022, and that earned him a first-round draft slot in the 2023 NFL Draft when the New England Patriots selected him 17th overall.

Christian Gonzalez NFL Draft Profile

Gonzalez's PFF grades climbed in each season since 2020: 57.5, 71.2, and then 81.2 in his most recent season with the Ducks.

Gonzalez actually had the highest total score in the NFL Next Gen Stats model among cornerbacks in the class.

He also allowed just two completions over 20 yards in 2022, via ESPN, but does have some less-than-ideal stats against man coverage.

Christian Gonzalez in New England

The Patriots were the third-best adjusted pass defense in football last season, via numberFire's expected points model.

Gonzalez was +230 to be the first cornerback drafted (trailing just Devon Witherspoon, who was drafted fifth overall), and it's likely a case where the Patriots could not pass up the value on the elite talent.

New England 2023 Outlook

Based on FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL odds, New England is firmly in the middle of the pack with +5500 odds to win the Super Bowl.

They do have -122 odds on the over at a 7.5 win total, though, but are +235 to make the playoffs in 2023.

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