Here's what Christian Gonzalez said after being drafted by Patriots at No. 17 overall
BOSTON -- The Patriots are being lauded for getting perhaps the steal of the first round of this year's NFL Draft.
After trading down from No. 14 to No. 17 overall, Bill Belichick and Co. must have been pleased to see cornerback Christian Gonzalez still there for the taking. The 6-foot-1 cornerback was widely expected to be a top-10 pick, but some surprises along the way led to a bit of a longer wait for Gonzalez to hear his name called by commissioner Roger Goodell.
Not long after taking the stage and donning a Patriots hat for the world to see, Gonzalez spoke to the New England media over Zoom. Here's what he had to say. (Questions edited for brevity.)
Could you detail what kind of contact you had with the Patriots during the pre-draft process, and how surprised are you that you ended up in New England?
"Yeah, I'm just extremely blessed to be able to talk to them and be able to come in today and just enjoy it with my family, and I'm just excited to get up there."
How surprised were you that you were available at pick 17? And what does it mean to play for Coach Belichick?
"Yeah, I mean, a little bit, but you know, it all happens for a reason. God has a plan. So you know, I'm trusting his plan. And I'm very excited to play under him. It's a -- you can't really get a better coach than that. So I'm just excited to learn and go in there and just compete."
There was a point in your life when you almost stopped playing football. Would you mind sharing that story? And on a day like today, are you glad that you didn't stop?
"Definitely. Yeah, it was -- I was in high school my sophomore year. I was put on JV as a backup, just because the coaches there thought I wasn't strong enough in the weight room. They didn't think I lifted enough weights. And then I ended up transferring, just pushed through, leaned on my family, and yeah, like you said, I'm very glad, very excited I did not make that decision [to quit] because I would not be in this position I am today."
How much did watching Sauce Gardner make an impact as a rookie boost your confidence for entering the league? What are your goals?
"Yeah, I mean, it means a lot to be able to watch somebody come in and just make an instant impact. And I want to hopefully do the same thing. I just want to come in and compete and learn and like I said earlier, you can't learn from anything better. So I'm really just excited for the opportunity to learn from the best."
How would you describe yourself as a player?
"Somebody that's versatile, fast, long, tall, that can move around and somebody that loves to learn and just wants to learn all the nuances of the defense and how they all build together."
What was something the Patriots wanted to know about you?
"Really just who I am as a player and a person. Just getting to know me and just learning who I am really."
Do you have a relationship with new Patriots O-line coach Adrian Klemm, after he was with you at Oregon?
"Yeah, I definitely have a relationship with Him. We would always talk at practice, mess around. But yeah, I'm excited to meet back up with him. "
What do you say to your youth football coaches tonight?
"Just thank you. Thanking them for always being there and then being here today. They all helped me get here to where I am today. So just was extremely happy to share that moment with them and can't wait to give the world back to 'em."
Have you ever been to New England?
"I have. Once."
What do you remember about the visit?
"It was great. Great atmosphere. The ball gets played down there -- up there. So I'm really excited just to get up there."
Was that a visit with the Patriots?
"It was a visit."
Have you heard about New England lobster rolls and the clam chowder? Are you a seafood person?
"I love seafood."
Would you be open to trying both?
"I'll speak to the lobster. I don't know about the clam chowder."
How would you describe yourself as a person?
"Yeah, I'm just somebody that's extremely trustworthy. Somebody that's just loyal and keeps a pretty tight circle. And just really all about ball, ready to just learn.I just love to learn."
Your tackling and ball skills seemed to take a jump last year. Could you describe that process?
"It was just film study, knew what I had to get better at, and attacking it every day at practice. So just really attacking it and knowing myself what I had to get better at, not having a coach tell me.
Any certain work you did in practice or in games to help with your preparation?
"It was just multiple reps, just getting more reps and a lot of film went into it. Just learning from that point of view."
What's your favorite way to watch film?
"Probably just like, I don't know -- by myself? I like to watch with the team and the coaches. But then I learn a lot by myself as well."
How aware are you of the Patriots' history of top cornerbacks, from Ty Law to Stephon Gilmore to Darrelle Revis, etc?
"Definitely I know about it. And like I said, I'm just excited to be able to get in there and play under just having great cornerbacks come out of that system. But yeah, definitely watched Stephon Gilmore. He's a great player. It's just now I want to follow in the footsteps of him."
The suit you wore tonight -- why did you wear it? Where did you get it? How much does it mean to you?
"I wore it because I'm Colombian. My dad was born in Colombia, and he moved to America to play basketball when he was 18. It took some planning, yeah. And it means the world to me to just be able to put on for South America. They don't really play football over there, but having little kids that know they can do what they want if they set their mind to it. So just want to be able to let them know that they have somebody to look up to."
The AFC East is pretty stacked in terms of quarterbacks and receivers, especially with Aaron Rodgers joining the Jets. Have you taken the time to think about the guys you'll be going up against this year?
"It's kind of all just a whirlwind, just taking it all in. Going to enjoy tonight with the family. But yeah, I've definitely put some thought into it. But I'm excited for that competition."
Are there any current or former Patriots that you've looked up to or studied?
"Currently, probably not. But just Stephon Gilmore was somebody that I definitely watched."
Can you believe you were picked in the first round by the Patriots?
"Definitely. It's been a dream since I was like 5, 6years old when I started playing football. And it's kind of surreal. It's hit, but I don't think it's truly hit. Maybe when I lay down in bed and just breathe again. But I'm just very excited. I don't have a lot of other words. It's just so much excitement that the day finally came and the phone rang."
