Dolphins' Tyreek Hill Praises Patriots' Rookie: 'Real Good!'

New England Patriots rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez left a lasting first impression on hard-to-please Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill.

Two games into his NFL career, Christian Gonzalez has done the impossible: He got Tyreek Hill to say something nice about the New England Patriots.

The Miami Dolphins' star receiver went on the verbal warpath before and after his team's annual visit to Gillette Stadium, with Mac Jones and the Foxborough faithful among his targets. But in the midst of Miami's 24-17 victory, the rookie Gonzalez and the rest of the fledgling Patriots left a strong first impression on Hill, widely regarded as one of the most electrifying playmakers in the NFL. 

“He’s real good, a very lengthy corner," Hill said. "He had some real good speed and technique about him. They have some real good pieces in over there in New England."

Gonzalez was the premier choice of a packed Patriots draft class, chosen with the 17th overall pick out of Oregon last spring. He is one of several young starters on the New England defense, a group of 11 that also includes Christian Barmore, Kyle Dugger, Marcus Jones, and Josh Uche.

Despite a heartbreaking loss, the Patriots (0-2) enjoyed a landmark outing from Gonzalez, who earned his first career interception in defeat. The Patriots' secondary limited Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to 249 yards a week after he put up 466 in a win over the Los Angeles Chargers. With Gonzalez tailing him for the majority of the night, Hill earned a two-yard touchdown grab from Tagovailoa shortly before halftime but was limited to five receptions on nine targets, totaling 40 yards after getting 215 in the win over Los Angeles.

Gonzalez also got his first career interception on a deep pass in which he out-jumped Hill.

The rookie, who has played every snap through games, will get his first South Beach experience on Oct. 29 when the Patriots head to Miami for a rematch. In the meantime, they'll complete an opening trio against AFC East competition on Sunday afternoon in New Jersey against the New York Jets (1 p.m. ET, CBS).