The New England Patriots are not expected to be contenders in the AFC during the 2024 NFL season. In fact, some predictions/models have the Pats finishing at, or near the bottom of the conference standings for the second straight year.
But there are reasons to be excited about this team. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye is obviously one. Another is second-year cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
Expectations are high for the 2023 first-round draft pick. Gonzalez played very well in limited action during his rookie season. He tallied 17 tackles with one sack, three pass deflections and one interception until a shoulder injury in Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys ended his rookie campaign.
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Now fully healthy again, Gonzalez is pretty pumped to be back on the field at training camp this week.
"Being able to do what I love and being held back from it, that's hard," Gonzalez told reporters after Thursday's camp practice at Gillette Stadium.
"But that's in the past. I'm so excited to just come out -- I'm blessed to be out here. Excited to take it day by day and get back to where we were at."
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Not being able to play for most of his first pro season was difficult, but Gonzalez was able to find other ways to learn and improve his skill set.
"It gave me time to learn more mentally," Gonzalez said. "Obviously, I couldn't do anything physically or be on the field, but it helped me learn the game more and pick up nuances I might've not known."
Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones recently compared Gonzalez to former NFL Defensive Player of the Year winner Stephon Gilmore in terms of his calm demeanor and ability to be a playmaker on the field.
Gonzalez said Thursday he has spoken with the former Patriots cornerback a few times and is hoping to emulate some parts of his game.
"(Gilmore) is one of the best to ever do it," Gonzalez said. "He plays with great smarts and knows the game really well. I spoke to him a couple times, him telling me that and watching his film, you can see how he played like that. I'm just trying to mimic certain things, but it's really cool to be able to talk to somebody like that and want to talk about ball."
Gonzalez feels like he's made progress since being drafted, but noted there's still plenty of improvement to be made. If he can take another jump and become a top 15 or top 20 cornerback this season, the Patriots defense should be a pretty formidable unit once again.
"I feel like I've improved, but I feel like there's so much more I (can) take my game. I'm excited for it."