Patriots select cornerback Christian Gonzalez in first round of NFL Draft

BOSTON -- The New England Patriots have made their pick, selecting cornerback Christian Gonzalez out of Oregon after trading down three spots in the first round.

The 6-foot-1 cornerback will add much-needed size to the Patriots' secondary, after his three-year career -- first with the Colorado Buffaloes, then with the Ducks. At Oregon, Gonzalez picked off four passes last season while recording 51 total tackles.

"I'm very excited to play under [Bill Belichick]," Gonzalez said Thursday night. "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."

On the clock at No. 14 overall, New England traded away the selection to Pittsburgh, moving back a few spots while adding a fourth-round pick to their draft arsenal this weekend. The Steelers used that pick to select offensive tackle Broderick Jones out of Georgia. The Patriots picked up their fourth pick of the fourth round, all but ensuring more moves are set to be made on Friday and Saturday.

Gonzalez described who he is as a player not long after the selection was made.

"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," he said.  

The Patriots owned the No. 14 overall pick after finishing last season with an 8-9 record. It would have been the highest pick the Patriots have taken since selecting Jerod Mayo at No. 10 overall in the 2008 draft. Instead, the 17th overall pick is in line with Mac Jones (15th overall, 2021), Nate Solder (17th overall, 2011), Ty Warren (13th overall, 2003) as picks in the teens during the Bill Belichick era.

NFL.com's Lance Zerlein said that Gonzalez is an "explosive outside cornerback possessing a rare blend of physical and athletic traits," adding that the corner has "blazing top-end speed, which should help him match against top-end targets in the future."

Pro Football Focus ranked Gonzalez as the second-best cornerback in the draft, behind only Devon Witherspoon, who went fifth overall to the Seahawks.