New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez has continued to impress in his second NFL season. Patriots cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino even went as far as calling him a “unique” corner.
Just take a look at what he was able to do against the likes of New York Jets star receiver Davante Adams last week. When matched one-on-one with Gonzalez, Adams had four targets and zero catches.
Gonzalez has developed a reputation for being able to lock up the opposing team’s top receiver. He has 54 tackles, one sack, two interceptions and four pass deflections so far this year.
“He’s got that dawg mentality of ‘not going to let this guy win.’ He wants to be great, and he does all the extra things to be great,” Pellegrino said in a video posted by the team. “I’m very impressed with his work ethic. He’ll take extra reps, he’ll take scout team reps. Anything that has to do with football, he’s locked in. He’s very good in the classroom. Very good. Very good at his film study on his own. That is unique at corner.”
Gonzalez has become a cornerstone of the Patriots defensive secondary ever since his arrival last season. It will be fun to see his career trajectory as he continues to improve and eventually hit his peak.
