Christian Gonzalez - NFL Mock Draft Roundup

After a slow start, the Detroit Lions finally enjoyed a promising season from Jeff Okudah. Pairing him with Christian Gonzalez would provide the Lions with an exciting young pair of corners. Gonzalez offers tremendous size, length, coverage instincts, and ball skills to be a lockdown guy in the NFL.

Arizona hired Monti Ossenfort from Tennessee as its next general manager. A vacancy remains at the head-coaching position and that could impact its thought process in the draft. As it stands, the Cardinals address a position that has been a weakness for quite some time after moving back from No. 3 overall to pick up additional draft capital.

The Lions must address their secondary if they ever want to stop the pass.

Christian Gonzalez is a tall cornerback who is fast and athletic.

Assuming the Lions go after a pass rusher with the sixth overall pick, now they get to fatten up a bit. They'll go with the best cornerback still available.

The Ravens add youth to their secondary with Gonzalez, whose film was super clean in 2022.

Taking another corner in the top 10 might worry draft-obsessed Detroit fans still not thrilled at the development of Jeff Okudah. Gonzalez is a much different prospect, however, and could help solidify a defense that had plenty of issues giving up the big play.

Devon Witherspoon is the top cover corner in the class. Meanwhile, Christian Gonzalez is the top size/speed build at the position. He put his elite traits to great use on the outside and took his game to new heights with Oregon.

If Washington can figure out their QB position, there's enough talent on the roster to make a playoff run. Adding Gonzalez to the defense could end up a steal at 16th overall.

When Howie Roseman acquired another first-round selection for this draft, there was a chance it would be used on a quarterback. But with Jalen Hurts playing at a near-MVP level this season, the Eagles can go in a much different direction.

With Darius Slay, James Bradberry, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Avonte Maddox, the Eagles put together a fantastic secondary this season. But with Bradberry entering a void year on his deal, and Gardner-Johnson entering free agency, odds are the Eagles will need to add a cornerback.

Similar to the battle for OT1, the battle for CB1 might be the most intriguing of the entire draft cycle. Cornerback also looks to be one of the deepest positions this season, with perhaps 15 prospects in the mix to be drafted in the first three rounds. How they come off the board might come down to scheme fit more than anything else, but Oregon's Christian Gonzalez is certainly among those being considered for that top CB spot. His blend of size, change-of-direction skills, and coverage versatility is ideal for modern NFL defenses.

Christian Gonzalez, a Colorado transfer, is a big-time athlete who is still growing into the position. He has the size, strength and speed to line up against NFL wide receivers; he just needs to improve in run support.

The Lions have a foundation built on GM Brad Holmes' two strong draft classes and development of the players by head coach Dan Campbell and his staff.

That's left the Lions with options in 2023. Trading down for more picks is one of them, but that seems unlikely with the opportunity to add a key player with the sixth pick.

Holmes pointed out the defense's problems in his postseason press conference. The only question is which position gets help first.

A one-year player at Oregon after a transfer from Colorado, Gonzalez is 6-2 with range and speed. He used that to intercept four passes in 12 games. He added 11 passes defended.

Howie Roseman and the Eagles can never have enough corners and pass rushers. They pick the top player on their board at a premium position.

Many Cowboy fans will look at the disappointing loss to San Francisco and say that this pick must help improve an offense that simply didn't have enough playmakers in the end. Still, emotions won't be part of the decision-making process when it comes to the 26th selection this April. Sure, a speedy receiver that can make plays with the ball in his hands would be ideal, as would a big-play running back should Tony Pollard find a new home.

However, this defense has five starters heading to free agency, and guys like Jayron Kearse or Jourdan Lewis could become cap casualties as well. At the end of the day, Dallas' front-office trio of Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones and Will McClay need to do their best to add the best prospect possible, and if Gonzalez gets to this spot, I have a hard time believing he won't fit the bill. His combination of size, length and athleticism is special. His feet do need to get more active, and Gonzalez will need to learn to trust them more than his hands, but the tools are there to be a future star. ~Austin Smith, DraftTek Senior Analyst

Remember when I mentioned earlier that the Lions have cornerback issues? Well, hopefully at least Lions fans were reading. Jeff Okudah flashed the talent that made him the No. 3 overall pick in 2020, but he was still inconsistent, and there's no surefire starter on the other side of the field. Gonzalez was a lockdown defender at Colorado before transferring to Oregon last year, where he picked off four passes and improved every week. He's going to test really well at the combine in March, too. This pick makes too much sense for a Detroit defense that badly needs an infusion of young talent in the secondary.

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