Christian Gonzalez

Christian Gonzalez (born June 28, 2002) is an American football cornerback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Colorado and transferred to Oregon for the 2022 season before being selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. He is the younger brother of Colombian-American hurdler Melissa Gonzalez.

Early life
Gonzalez was born on June 28, 2002, in Carrollton, Texas. He grew up in The Colony, Texas, and attended The Colony High School, where he was rated a four-star prospect as a cornerback and wide receiver. Gonzalez initially committed to play college football at Purdue University before enrolling at the University of Colorado.

College career
Gonzalez would become a full-time cornerback upon joining the Colorado Buffaloes football team in 2020. He started every game as a freshman, making 25 tackles with five pass deflections. As a sophomore, he had 53 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and five passes broken up.

Gonzalez transferred to the University of Oregon in 2022 to play for the Oregon Ducks. He was named first-team All-Pac-12 after recording 45 tackles, 7 pass breakups, and 3 interceptions. After the season, Gonzalez decided to forgo his remaining two years of eligibility and enter the 2023 NFL draft.

Professional career
Gonzalez was selected by the New England Patriots in the first round (17th overall) of the 2023 NFL draft.

On September 17 against the Miami Dolphins, Gonzalez recorded his first career interception. On September 28, Gonzalez was awarded with his first NFL award, Defensive Rookie of the Month for September.

On October 4, after suffering a torn labrum in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Gonzalez was confirmed to have a pair of season-ending injuries, having also suffered a dislocated shoulder, that required surgery. On October 7, Gonzalez was officially placed on injured reserve.

Personal life
Gonzalez was born to a Colombian family. His father, Hector, is 6-foot-9 and played college basketball at the University of Texas at El Paso before playing semiprofessionally in Colombia. He has three sisters, Melissa, Samantha, and Lily. Melissa (University of Texas) and Samantha (University of Miami) were two-time All-Americans in track and field, with Melissa representing Colombia in international events. Gonzalez is the brother-in-law of NFL coach and former quarterback David Blough, who is married to Melissa.