Christian Gonzalez NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for Oregon CB

HEIGHT: 6'1"

WEIGHT: 197

HAND: 9 1/2"

ARM: 32"

WINGSPAN: TBD

---

40-YARD DASH: 4.38

3-CONE: TBD

SHUTTLE: TBD

VERTICAL: 41.5"

BROAD: 11'1"

---

POSITIVES

— Excellent size and frame. Ideal length for a cornerback in the NFL, along with the weight needed to hold up against the physicality of the league.

— Shows to have quick feet and lateral movement skills to mirror in press. Has a good change of direction when getting out of breaks.

— Has the ability to flip his hips and run combined with the speed to match receivers downfield.

— Versatility to play in multiple schemes and from many different alignments.

— Plays with good ball skills. Tracks the ball well and attacks it, along with showing good timing to break up passes.

— Willing tackler who isn't afraid to get in the mix. Will front-up ball carriers and takes good angles in the open field.

---

NEGATIVES

— Doesn't show a backpedal that much, usually plays from an open shuffle technique.

— Too often he gives up separation out of breaks. Rounds his breaks at times and can be slow transitioning.

— Can lose his threats when in zone coverage, specifically underneath coverage. Often stares at the quarterback too long.

---

2022 STATISTICS

— 12 GM, 50 TOT, 1 TFL, 4 INT, 7 PBU

---

NOTES

— Transferred to Oregon from Colorado in 2022

— 2022 Coaches Pac-12 All Conference First Team

— His father, Hector Gonzalez, played basketball at UTEP and semi-pro in Colombia. His sisters, Melissa and Samatha, were All-American track athletes at Texas and Miami.

---

OVERALL

Christian Gonzalez is a top cornerback in this year's draft with very good length and size. He displays great movement skills for his size and is a fluid athlete with loose hips to swivel and run. He does a good job of sinking his hips to get out of breaks, though he often has a slower transition, which allows separation from receivers downfield. Combined with his transition, he tends to round his breaks at the top of routes, causing him to be slower in closing the gap.

Gonzalez has shown the versatility to play both press man and off man coverages, excelling in press and showing the lateral movement skills to mirror at the line of scrimmage. He does a good job of using his hands to reroute receivers and quickly gets in phase. When carrying receivers downfield, he has shown the speed to match his threats, while also getting his head around to locate and play the ball. There are times where he can be too handsy and unnecessarily tug on the receiver's jersey.

Gonzalez quickly finds the ball and attacks it in the air. At times, he can run the route for receivers and capitalize by catching the ball with strong hands away from his body.

When playing the run, he does a very good job of identifying the play and coming up quickly to support. He quickly defeats blocks with speed or through the use of his hands. When tackling, he does a great job of closing ground and taking out the legs of ball-carriers. He typically is a wrap tackler, but there are times when he dives at ankles. Ultimately, he is a secure tackler who plays his part in the run game.

As one of the top cornerbacks in this year's draft class, Gonzalez shows to have just about every skill needed to have a solid career at the next level. He will need to continue to work on his transitions to have minimal separation in routes, but his elite size and ball skills will make up for some of that. Gonzalez could be taken in the first round. If not, he will definitely be an early Day 2 pick.

---

GRADE: 8.3 (Year 1 Starter)

OVERALL RANK: 15

POSITION RANK: CB3

PRO COMPARISON: Jimmy Smith

---

Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings