The crowd around Podium 1 at the NFL Scouting Combine was a big one for Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez. The speedy Gonzalez is often projected as one of the top candidates for the Detroit Lions at the No. 6 overall pick in April’s draft.
With many Lions-centric reporters among the crowd, Gonzalez sold his case to be that player.
Gonzalez offered up the “elevator” pitch on why NFL teams should choose him over any other cornerback,
“I’m a long, speedy, versatile corner, you know. Someone that can line up on the outside and guard a 6-5 receiver and line up inside and guard a 5-10 speedy type of receiver. Being able to be a smart player, learn very quickly. Being able to change to any type of what (type of receiver) I’m going against.”
He noted that he was proud of being able to how his ball skills in his one season at Oregon after being questioned about them during his prior time at Colorado,
“Everybody was asking if I had ball skills. I went out and showed I’ve got the ball skills to trust in. I knew I had that my whole life but you know, I just had to go and make the plays.”
One thing Gonzalez talked about in several different answers was his film study. He’s a film junkie and understands how to process what he’s seeing into on-field action. Gonzalez related how he uses film study to help his press-man coverage tehcnique–something he played a lot at Oregon.
“A lot of film study goes into that,” Gonzalez explained. “Knowing what the receiver I’m going against and how they want to go and attack me. Sometimes I’ve got to switch it up. I’ve got a lot of tools in the toolbox, so just pulling them out and keep the receiver on their feet and their toes.”
Gonzalez indicated he’s met with “lots of” teams but did not indicate any specifically. He did note that growing up with former Lions (and current Cardinals) backup QB David Blough as his brother-in-law has really helped him prepare for the NFL.
“(Blough is) someone in my direct family that I can talk to that has been through the process of playing in college, been in the league. (He’s) somebody that I talked to growing up all the time. He was always around the house. I remember playing with him when I was like 10 years old, just running around and throwing the ball. It’s all come full circle and it’s been great to have him in my corner.”
Blough’s wife, Melissa, is Gonzalez’s older sister and represented Colombia in the Olympics as a hurdler.
