Christian Gonzalez 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Background: 

• Spent his first two years at Colorado before transferring to Oregon in 2022

• All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention (2021)
• Has two older sisters both of whom are professional track and field athletes 

System: 

• Scheme tendencies: Cover 1 and 3 with plenty of press-man
• 2022 projected role: Starting outside corner in either a Cover 3 or Cover 1 scheme

Pros: Christian Gonzalez enters his third college season with a new team but looks to continue the success he had with Colorado. Gonzalez has outstanding size and length and is a very good athlete overall. He primarily lines up outside on the boundary but has shown to follow the team’s No. 1 receiver across the formation and even in the slot. He is a patient corner off the line with light feet and good eyes. He is outstanding in press and has good punch timing and hand placement. He is an excellent man-to-man corner and utilizes his length to press the receiver and ride him through the stem and has the fluidity to bend and sink into breaks when it’s time to change direction at the top of the route. He flashes good eyes and instincts in zone coverage and makes it hard to find throwing windows as he naturally covers so much ground with his length. He is a tough and competitive corner who will not shy away from anyone. 

Cons: Christian Gonzalez has everything you want in an outside corner. He is long, fluid, and physical and understands how to stay in phase against almost any route. Where he struggles is locating the football when the ball is in the air. There were multiple times where he had perfect coverage but simply couldn’t locate the football and allowed the receiver to make a play on the ball. He is leggy in some transitions and smaller receivers can get him with quickness at the top of the route, but for the most part, he does a good job staying connected. As a press corner, he is physical through the stem, but that will lead to penalties. There are times he over-pursues in the run game and creates cut-back lanes for the running back. Overall this is an athletic corner with the size, length, and competitiveness to thrive in a Cover 3 and Cover 1 scheme.

Christian Gonzalez NFL Draft Scouting Report by Brentley Weissman