For weeks heading into the draft, Christian Gonzalez was widely viewed as one of the top two cornerback prospects and a likely top 10 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. But he fell on draft day – a lot further than some expected. Not only were the New England Patriots able to nab him, they were able to do it while trading back from the No. 14 overall pick to the No. 17 overall pick.

Gonzalez admitted that he was surprised by his drop, though he's looking forward to his time in New England and playing for Bill Belichick.

“I mean a little bit,” Gonzalez said when asked if he was surprised that he went later than expected. “But it all happens for a reason. God has a plan. So I am trusting his plan. I'm very excited to play under him. You can't really get a better coach than that. So I'm just excited to learn, go in there and just compete.”

Gonzalez, who played the 2022 season at Oregon after spending his first two seasons at Colorado, was dominant in college. He had four interceptions in 2022 and opposing quarterbacks had a tough time when throwing the ball in his direction. They completed 39 passes on 64 targets for 495 yards and three touchdowns with a 74.7 passer rating when throwing Gonzalez's way in 2022, per Pro Football Focus.

Gonzalez also has good size, too. At 6-foot-1 and 197 pounds, Gonzalez immediately becomes New England’s biggest cornerback.

That's part of what Gonzalez wants New England fans to know about him when he takes the field as a Patriot in 2023.

“Just somebody that's versatile, fast, long, tall that can move around,” Gonzalez said when asked how to describe his game. “Somebody that loves to learn. Just wants to learn all the nuances of the defense and how they all build together.”

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Gonzalez had a top-30 visit with the Patriots earlier in April, which he said was the only time he's ever visited New England in his life. He isn't a stranger to Patriots history though. When asked about other legendary Patriots corners over the last few decades, Gonzalez said he “definitely” knows about the great corners, such as Ty Law, Darrelle Revis and Stephon Gilmore, who he looked up to.

“Like I said, I'm just excited to be able to get in there and play. Having great cornerbacks come out of that system,” Gonzalez said of the Patriots' history at corner. “But yeah definitely watched Stephon Gilmore. He's a great player. I want to follow in the footsteps of him.”

Hoping to follow in the footsteps of other great Patriots corners isn't the only thing providing Gonzalez motivation. He admitted he's motivated by how well New York Jets corner Sauce Gardiner played last season en route to winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Gonzalez hopes he's the next recipient of the award.

“It means a lot to be able to watch somebody come in and just make an instant impact. I want to hopefully do the same thing,” Gonzalez said. “I just want to come in compete and learn. I said earlier, you can't learn from anything better. I'm really just excited for the opportunity to learn from the best.”