INDIANAPOLIS — Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez projects as one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL draft.
He’s at the NFL combine hoping to convince teams, including the Falcons, that he’s worthy of being the first cornerback taken in the draft, which is set for April 27-29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The Falcons hold the eighth overall pick.
Gonzalez, who’s listed at 6-foot-2 and 201 pounds, was named All-Pac-12 after he led the Ducks in interceptions (4), pass breakups (7) and blocked kicks (1) in 12 games.
“It would mean everything,” Gonzalez said about possibly being the top cornerback selected. “That’s what I strive for in my whole life. All I’ve worked for is here. I’m excited to get going.”
The Falcons’ secondary didn’t hold up well in coverage in 2022. The defense allowed 231.9 yards passing per game, which ranked 25th in the league. The opposition averaged 7.03 yards per pass play, which ranked 29th.
The Falcons added assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray and secondary coach Steve Jackson essentially to replace defensive coordinator Dean Pees (who helped with the secondary) and secondary coach Jon Hoke. New defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen will work with the defensive linemen.
Gonzalez is very familiar with the Falcons’ secondary situation.
“Yeah, I watch him all the time,” Gonzalez said of Falcons’ cornerback A.J. Terrell. “A great physical corner that I love to watch and see what he brings to the table. He’s one of the corners that I study a lot.”
Gonzalez started his career at Colorado before transferring to Oregon. He crossed paths with future Falcons receiver Drake London in the Pac-12, and things didn’t go well.
“My toughest match-up was Drake London when I was at Colorado,” Gonzalez said. “He’s a great receiver. He made plays. I made a couple of plays, but he got the best of me. That’s one receiver I feel like. … He taught me a lot going against him.”
Gonzalez could be reunited with London and potentially play opposite of Terrell as the Falcons continue to rebuild on defense.
Gonzalez believes he could add to foundation that the Falcons believe they’ve started. Here’s what he said they’ll be getting if he’s selected.
“Someone that is going to do their best every day,” Gonzalez said. “Come out and be able to do multiple things at different positions. Someone that is going to work every day and add a lot to the team.”
Gonzalez credited his success at Oregon to his diligent film study.
“You start from the smallest things to find out how I can get an advantage over the receiver,” Gonzalez said. “Then it’s just going out there with confidence and knowing that and trusting my technique. Doing what I do. A lot goes into, but it starts off with film student.”
Gonzalez left Colorado to follow position coach Demetrice Martin to Oregon.
“What I feel like what I’ve improved on, everybody was asking if I have ball skills,” Gonzalez said. “I went out and showed that I’ve got the ball skills. I trust it, and I know I’ve had that my whole life, but I had to go make the plays.”
Gonzalez, along with Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon and Penn State’s Joey Porter are considered the top cornerbacks in the draft by NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah.
“I’ve kind of talked about those big three,” Jeremiah said. “For me it’s Witherspoon, Porter, and Gonzalez, whatever order you want to put them in.”
The next group of cornerbacks includes Georgia’s Kelee Ringo, Maryland’s Deonte Banks and Miami’s Tyrique Stevenson.
“You must have confidence playing this position,” Gonzalez said. “You’re out there on an island by yourself. That’s what I live for. Being matched up, anytime I get to up against a great receiver … that’s awesome.”
Gonzalez gave an example of when his film study helped him.
“When I was playing Stanford, I did a lot of film study, and I knew when they put certain feet up they were running certain routes,” Gonzalez said. “There was a play where I noticed that their splits would flip mid-stance. Went up and made the play.”
Gonzalez, whose father, Hector, played basketball at Texas-El Paso, believes he’ll be a good fit in the NFL.
“I’m a long, speedy and versatile corner,” Gonzalez said. “I’m somebody that can line up on the outside and guard a 6-5 receiver and line up inside and guard a 5-10 speedy type receiver. Being able to be a smart player. I learn very quickly.”
The Falcons are looking for cornerbacks with Gonzalez’s size and versatility.
“So that position, whatever you call it – nickel, star, third safety or third corner – that’s a starting position,” Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said. “It’s a tough position because you obviously have to be really smart because you have to do a lot of different things.”
The Falcons want more than just coverage cornerbacks.
“You got to play the run,” Fontenot said. “You’ve got to pressure. There are so many different things that you need to do. But that’s a critical position.”
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