The cornerback of Colombian origin Christian González was selected this Thursday by the New England Patriots in the seventeenth shift of the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft that takes place in Kansas City Missouri.
“I am very excited for this opportunity that means a lot to me and to Colombia, where my dad was born; I’m very happy to be here,” said Gonzalez while opening his white jacket to show the lining decorated with the colors of the Colombian flag, after being recruited.
There was a <1% chance that Christian Gonzalez was going to be available at pick 17. @chrisgonzo28
New England may have gotten a steal in the #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/feXbbJJJ1j
— ESPN (@espn) April 28, 2023
The defensive back will be under coach Bill Belichick, winner of six Super Bowl rings.
Gonzalez is 20 years old. In college football he played in the Colorado Buffaloes in his first two years, in 2022 he acted for the Oregon Ducks, a team with which he stood out with 35 tackles, seven passes defended and four interceptions, which made him one of the best in his position.
In the past NFL Scouting Combine 2023, Gonzalez impressed NFL coaches by recording 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash, the speed that makes him ideal for fulfilling man-to-man coverage.
Christian was born in Carrollton, Texas.
His father, Colombian Héctor González, played basketball with the Piratas de Bogotá between 1996 and 2000. Thanks to his athletic talent, he obtained a scholarship to study at the University of Texas, where his son grew up.
Like the cornerback and his father, his sister Melissa, also born in the United States, became an athlete. She is a specialist in the 400 meters hurdles, a competition in which she represented Colombia in the last Olympic Games in Tokyo in which she was eliminated in the semifinal.
Gonzalez joins the three Colombians who have made it to the NFL. The first was Jairo Peñaranda, former running back for the Los Angeles Rams in 1981, and the Philadelphia Eagles in 1985.
He was followed by Fuad Reveiz, former scorer of the Dolphins (1985-1988), Chargers (1990) and Vikings (1995).
The most recent was former center Fernando Velasco, who played for the Titans (2008-2012), Steelers (2013) and Panthers (2014-2015), with whom he was in Super Bowl 50 that lost to the Denver Broncos
