Color me surprised that Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez lasted until the Patriots' pick at 14 ... and again after they traded back to 17, while picking up a fourth-round pick in the process.
While I wasn't the biggest Gonzalez guy in the pre-draft process — Devon Witherspoon, who went fifth overall to the Seahawks, was far and away my preferred corner — Gonzalez wasn't all that far off.
I mean, Gonzalez has an exquisite size/speed profile at 6-1.5, 200 pounds, long arms, big hands, 4.38 speed at 1.54 seconds at 10 yards — plus outstanding leaping ability. And he has the film to match. Sure, you could nitpick some things about him, like his strength, tackling and lack of physicality at times, but it wasn't egregious. In many ways, Gonzalez reminded me of Nnamdi Asomugha, who went 31st to the Raiders in 2003 at 6-2.5, 213 pounds and 4.45 speed. All Asomugha did was be named first- or second-team All-Pro four times from 2006-10 — after a rough two-year transition from safety to cornerback.
Like Asomugha, Gonzalez is known to be quieter than the normal bravado lot at cornerback, more cerebral. Maybe their film isn't rock-em, sock-em like some others, but it's still effective.
Oh, and did we mention that Gonzalez doesn't turn 21 until June 28th?
Still, it's a bit odd that Gonzalez lasted as long as he did and was the third corner drafted after Emmanuel Forbes went to Washington.
"I couldn't guarantee that Christian was going to be there but felt good that a player that we felt good about would be there," said director of player personnel Matt Groh.
This is where I think the Patriots will benefit from some of the nitpicking that other NFL teams did with Gonzalez — and some definitely dinged him. The Patriots did not.
"Feel pretty good about Christian and being able to bring him in," Groh said. "It's nice when you've got a consensus on a player. So from the coaching staff, to the scouts, we're fairly unified grade-wise on Christian.
So what was the issue with Gonzalez — and we'd term it minor going from 10ish to 17? And could the Patriots benefit the same way on a possible need-based pick in the second round?
Spoke to a scout who has long been in the West about Gonzalez. This scout is on the younger side, and definitely not one of those old-school firebrands that could knock a player for walking funny. This scout saw Gonzalez up close at Colorado, and then when he transferred to Eugene.
It seems this all centers around makeup, specifically the beliefs that some hold when it comes to drafting a cornerback in the middle of the first round. You're expecting him to be an immediate starter and a No. 1 corner in the NFL. That's a tough role, and some believe that not everyone is cut out for it — which is why you saw a Witherspoon go so high.
I was surprised at how deep these scouts go on these prospects, and they did on Gonzalez.
Gonzalez's trail starts off at Carrollton Creekview High and there are questions about why he only made JV as a sophomore. At Creekview, both of Gonzalez's older sisters were track stars, yet he transferred as a junior to The Colony ... why? It made scouts question whether he had issues with the pressure of being compared to his sisters.
"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," Gonzalez told reporters Thursday night. "Then I ended up transferring. I just pushed through, leaned on my family. Like you said, I'm very glad, very excited I did not make that decision (to stop playing football in high school) because I would not be in this position I am today."
Gonzalez also transferred from Colorado — where those coaches dinged his ball skills and his lack of DB swag. But the Oregon coaches loved him, and the Patriots have a former Duck assistant (line coach Adrian Klemm) now on staff.
"We've got great relationships there," Groh said of Oregon. "But you've got a coach who's on your staff you know you're getting the truth on the player, good and bad. So that allows you, again there's that comfort level. Coach Klemm was with Christian, call it eight months, so definitely a great resource. ... So definitely appreciate Coach Klemm's input."
The concern over Gonzalez basically boils down to how he's going to handle the pressure of being a No. 1 cornerback in the pros, where you can't just transfer.
"Mental toughness, emotional issues, maturity, physical toughness - why he fell so far," said one top executive.
"In my estimation, there's no issues with him," said the scout. "You don't have to worry about him. He's gonna work his ass off. He's gonna do everything. He's gonna be in the building early, leave late — all that stuff's gonna be fine. It just makes you wonder if he's gonna need like positive reinforcement a lot. That's just based on my gut because no one's ever said ... because the film doesn't show it. So that's weird. It's just me like thinking there's an issue that teams back off but be a little bit more like, 'Okay, we got to make sure that we have to marry him up with the right coach or have the right resources too. There is an issue with confidence and whether that will sustain during the inevitable ups and downs. With a Witherspoon, you don't have to worry about that.
"Christian isn't an alpha, but he's also not a punk either. I could see some teams thinking he is a punk because there's some run support film that's iffy. But credit to the Oregon coaches. I don't know how that happened, but he's at least more forceful in the run game than he was ever at Colorado and I never would have thought that would have happened.
"He may not be a killer, but he'll rise to the challenge and at least be a guy that you can live with in the run game. I don't think Christian's a punk. I think I think just the confidence piece. Not a concern, but something I think you just need to build with the kid."
See, I think this is nitpicking in an old-school way. Maybe 30 years ago teams would have been scared off a Gonzalez — like Asomugha going 31st — but athletes are just different. Still, a lot of teams want an alpha corner in the top 20, but the Patriots could be set up to give Gonzalez that environment. Cornerbacks coach Mike Pelligrino has done really well with a young and sometimes immature room, so I believe Gonzalez will be in good hands.
I'm just happy the Patriots found a long cornerback that is different than the rest of the room with Jonathan Jones, Jack Jones and Marcus Jones. Gonzalez, if he hits, allows the Patriots to match up much better against the bigger receivers in this division and AFC when they couldn't before. When Gonzalez hits, that should allow Jonathan Jones to go back to slot with Jack Jones the other outside corner, and perhaps Marcus is freed up to contribute more on offense. All of those moves would make the Patriots off this one pick, and I think the Patriots were right to take a small leap of faith on Gonzalez — not many guys have his physical profile. Yes, the mental component is important at cornerback, but it doesn't appear outwardly like it's a huge issues. Sometimes teams can overanalyze some of these guys.
I do think the Patriots were right to pass on tackle Broderick Jones, who went 14th to the Steelers in the trade-up. I got some late intel that there are serious concerns about his makeup and consistency that removed him from at least three team's boards.
Much to my surprise, the same can't be said about a prospect I think the Patriots might be wise to trade up for in the second round, Ohio State tackle Dawand Jones. He's basically the same player as Trent Brown due to his size (6-8) and tendency to get out of shape or appear like he doesn't care all that much.
"He's just young and needs structure," the scout said. "I think the second round is good for him. He's so big and massive in pass protection that that's something he's going to excel at. I think the second would be the floor for him. Nowhere near the concerns as Broderick."
But I could see many teams having an issue with Jones, especially after he left the Senior Bowl after one practice and appeared to get out of shape quickly this offseason. But if the Patriots do their homework on Jones like they did Gonzalez, they could benefit in the same way to fill two huge needs for this franchise.