AJ Brown Dubs Patriots' Christian Gonzalez 'Great Player, Great Worker'

The Philadelphia Eagles WR has taken notice of the New England Patriots' lockdown defender.

August 8, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (0) warms up before a game against the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

In one of the team's better draft selections in recent memory, the New England Patriots managed to find an elite defensive piece to add to their secondary during the 2023 NFL Draft when they selected Oregon DB Christian Gonzalez at 16th overall-- a physical, 6-foot-2 corner that projects to be a lockdown at the position for years to come.

Gonzalez showed out as a rookie with promise to start his first four games in the Patriots 2023 campaign before his year one was cut short due to shoulder surgery. Despite the premature end to his first season, some notable faces around the NFL have taken notice of the New England defensive back.

After the Patriots' joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday, three-time Pro Bowl WR AJ Brown gave credit to New England's second-year cornerback, labeling Gonzalez as a "great player" and "great worker":

"He's a great player, man. I had picked him coming out... as the best DB in the [2023] draft. He's a great player. He's a great worker. He gave me good work today."

- AJ Brown on Christian Gonzalez

AJ Brown says Christian Gonzalez is a great player

Adds that he picked him as the best DB in his draft class and that he gave him good work today

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— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS) August 13, 2024

This isn't the first time Brown's met up with Gonzalez, as the Patriots faced off against the Eagles during the debut game of their 2023 campaign. While New England failed to come out with a win in that one, losing 25-20, it wasn't without a decent performance from the then-rookie DB, limiting Brown to seven catches for 79 yards.

Gonzalez holds a ton of upside entering his sophomore campaign after a shortened debut season. He'll be paired alongside an encouraging secondary with Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers manning down the starting safety position and with Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones at corner. New England's schedule is packed with a ton of wide receiver talent, so expect the play of this team's secondary to be a key part of their regular season success in 2024.

Gonzalez will get another chance to face off against Brown during the Patriots' upcoming preseason game vs. the Eagles, scheduled to kick off at 7 PM on Thursday, August 15th.

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