FOXBOROUGH, Mass – Christian Gonzalez has not disappointed in his first two games in the NFL. 

And the New England Patriots are certainly going to lean on him throughout the next few weeks after injures have affected many cornerbacks. 

“He’s done a lot," defensive back Myles Bryant said. "They’ve asked a lot of him, especially last week stepping in there and guarding (Tyreek Hill) and then the week before that DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown, that whole receiver group. So I mean, just seeing him, a 21-year-old kid coming in in his second week in an NFL game, going out there and being able to perform like that is real well.”

Gonzalez was drafted by the Patriots in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and made an immediate impact in his NFL Debut. The rookie sacked Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Jalen Hurts and followed it up by interception Miami Dolphins Tua Tagovailoa in Week 2. 

A cornerback out of Oregon, Gonzalez earned recognition on First-team All-Pac-12 in his final collegiate season. And Bryant thinks the conference he played in definitely helped, having experience there as well when he played for Washington. 

“Maybe it’s because he played in the best conference in college football, the PAC 12. So I think it comes from that you play good competition there,” Bryant said with a laugh while also admitting there might be a little bias there. “He went to the other school in comparison to my school (Washington).”

Gonzalez has not shied away from the tough challenges, going up against the top receivers on the Patriots in practice and then having to cover the best ones around the league during games.  

“But it’s just a credit to how competitive he is in practice, to go against guys like DeVante Parker, KB, JuJu, Pop, (Kayson Boutte), all those guys that we have over there," Bryant said. "Just a credit to how competitive he is against those guys. It shows on the field during game days.”

The Patriots new defensive weapon is known as a very soft-spoken guy; however, the team did get a glimpse of some celebrating during the season. And it's something they still talk about. 

“We saw a little when we played Philly. I think he made a tackle for no gain. He got up and did a little fit pump," Bryant explained. "It was kind of surprising. We all joked about it that we didn’t know he had that to him.” 

So one thing is for sure: Gonzalez is going to continue to be fun to watch. 

Lawrence Guy has glowing praise for two Patriots’ rookies

They have certainly made an impact.

Featured Image via David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports