New England Patriots defensive back Christian Gonzalez still carries the motivation from being the third cornerback taken on the 2023 NFL draft board.
The Patriots traded down to No. 17 on the board and still came away with Gonzalez in the end. It was one of the biggest steals of the draft. Devon Witherspoon and Emmanuel Forbes were the other two cornerbacks drafted ahead of Gonzalez.
Seeing his name fall on the draft board angered Gonzalez, who truly believed he was one of the best cornerbacks in the class. He came in viewing himself and Witherspoon as the 1A and 1B of the draft class, in no particular order.
“I was hot man. I was mad. One because I was already the third corner taken. I know I’m not the third corner of this class. I know I’m not the third corner. …Once I got to CB3, I was like, ‘I appreciate it. I’m happy. but I’m ready to go now.’” Gonzalez said on the Frat Rules Podcast.
Chrisitan Gonzalez was “heated” after being the third cornerback taken on draft night.
The #Patriots All-Pro corner thought he would go within the first ten picks, but instead dropped and went 17th overall.
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Frat Rules Podcast) | #NEPats pic.twitter.com/oqpenosbF9
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) February 17, 2025
It obviously worked out well for the Patriots with Gonzalez becoming a key staple of their secondary and one of the best cornerbacks in the league. In only his second NFL season, he has already received All-Pro honors.
As for the Commanders, they ended up releasing Forbes from their roster last November.