2023 NFL Draft: Top 10 Cornerbacks and their fits with the Atlanta Falcons
No. 1: Christian Gonzalez, Oregon
2022: 12 Games Played, 50 Tackles, 1.0 Tackles for Loss, 4 Interceptions, 7 Pass Deflections, 1 Blocked Kick
2021: 12 Games Played, 42 Tackles, 5.5 Tackles for Loss, 5 Pass Deflections
2020: 6 Games Played, 25 Tackles, 5 Pass Deflections
Christian Gonzalez has so many similarities to Jalen Ramsey, and athleticism is right there with the other ones. pic.twitter.com/QGYEyP5XC5
— Scott Carasik (@CarasikS) March 26, 2023
Christian Gonzalez is an exceptional cornerback and has great explosiveness and athleticism. Teams will love his length and size for the cornerback position and have him at or near the top of his board directly. As a man corner, he can press or play off and mirror and match effectively. He's able to play cover 3 and uses the sideline effectively for his deep coverage. Teams will also love his special team's ability as a gunner and his potential as a field goal-blocking specialist.
He does need to get better with his open-field tackling, and his ball skills are average at best. He's got to get better at jumping routes and needs to get better at the catch point. Gonzalez is comparable to Patrick Ramsey as a player overall. The Falcons could look at Gonzalez with the No. 8 overall pick and have a long-term starter and potentially have someone they could use to replace Casey Hayward. The Falcons would be able to raise the overall defensive performance with Gonzalez at No. 8.