Patriots Nation has reason to be excited on Friday, but that excitement extends beyond just the fans.
New England drafted Christian Gonzalez out of Oregon with the No. 17 overall selection in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Despite trading pick No. 14 to the Pittsburgh Steelers to move down a few spots and acquire pick No. 120, the Patriots still got their guy -- who happens to be regarded as the best cornerback in his class.
Gonzalez will bring impressive length, athleticism, and physicality to New England's secondary at 6-foot-1 and 197 pounds. With the team's reputation for developing corners, he fills a need against all the star-studded cast of receivers in the AFC East. From what it appears on Twitter, his new veteran teammates on defense can't wait to get to work.
With the Ducks, the star corner wore No. 0, which the NFL recently approved as a new jersey number for this season.
At the time, the thought of wearing the donut intrigued rising sophomore corner Jack Jones, which he expressed on Twitter. However, it looks like he's going to hold tight at No. 13 to save it for the rookie.
Importantly, the selection of Gonzalez received a stamp of approval from a newly retired Devin McCourty.
