Why Patriots Pick Christian Gonzalez' Draft Suit 'Means the World'

Christian Gonzalez showcased his Colombian heritage upon hearing his name called during the NFL Draft's premier round on Thursday night.

The United States won't be the only form of America represented by the New England Patriots next season.

Cornerback Christian Gonzalez entered the NFL in literal style on Thursday night, as the 17th pick of the 2023 Draft and Oregon alum showcased a colorful suit whose interior was decked out in red, blue, and yellow. 

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

Fans almost immediately picked up that Gonzalez had temporarily ditched the greens and blacks of Oregon for the colors of the flag of Colombia. The defender confirmed such speculation in his first public comments as a member of the Patriots, declaring his intentions to pay tribute to his Colombian heritage.

"I wore it because I'm Colombian. It means the world to me," Gonzalez declared, per Mike Reiss of ESPN. "To just be able to put it on for South America; they don't really play football over there. So having little kids know they can do what they want if they set their mind to it, I just want to be able to let them know they have somebody to look up."

To date, two Colombian-born players have partaken in NFL regular season games: running back Jairo Penaranda played 20 games between the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles while kicker Fuad Reveiz earned All-Pro honors with the Minnesota Vikings in 1994. 

Though Gonzalez was born in Texas, his father Hector came to the U.S. from Colombia to play college basketball at UTEP, helping the team reach the National Invitational Tournament in 1993. Rudy Rangel, the younger Gonzalez's high school football head coach at The Colony, Texas, says that Hector's selfless, hard-working qualities are on display through his son in an interview with CBS News.

"His dad's an immigrant, he comes over with basketball. He meets his wife. He fights for his family and makes a better life for his family. Not just (for) Christian (but) the entire family," Rangel said. "To have Christian represent us, and for the up and coming future Cougars and just in general, across the country, a kid that felt he wanted to do more with his life and felt like there was more out there for him. He goes and does it."

Gonzalez is coming off a season that saw him earn four interceptions en route to first-team All-Pac-12 honors. He's the first secondary defender to earn first-round honors from the Patriots since Devin McCourty in 2010. Gonzalez will ironically be called upon to fill the void left behind by McCourty's retirement as the Patriots get ready to deal with a pair of showdowns against Aaron Rodgers upon the four-time MVP's trade to the New York Jets.

The 2023 NFL Draft will resume on Friday night in Kansas City (7 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN/NFL Network).

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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