Patriots' ascending star explains how he developed trait that has ignited his early NFL success

Christian Gonzalez doesn't need to say much. He let's his play speak for itself each and every game.

"He's a guy that puts his head down every single day and he works, he studies, he's in the playbook," defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington said on Thursday. "He studies his opponent, route combinations, everything like that, route concepts. So he's everything you want as a coach."

Through the first three games, Gonzalez has been given one of the hardest tasks on the defensive side of the ball. He has had to matchup against some of the top weapons in the league, covering Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase, Seattle Seahawks WR D.J. Moore, and New York Jets WR Garrett Wilson.

This coming weekend, he will most likely be tasked with covering San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk.

"He's doing what we ask him to do," Covington said. "He's stepping up to whatever challenge we ask him to do and so hopefully he continues to do that."

According to Pro Football Focus, Gonzalez has allowed just 13 catches on 20 target for 79 yards and one touchdown in the past three games.

“(Gonzalez) may not say a lot, but he has all the skills to be one of the top players in the league at his position,” head coach Jerod Mayo said. “I think he still has room to grow, and he’s going to be a very good player for us.”

So how did he become such a silent, but fierce force in football? A to Z Sports spoke asked him this exact question.

"It was really just something I was raised on. I got two older sisters who were athletes. My dad's an athlete. So it was kind of just how I was raised," Gonzalez explained. "I was never the super outgoing kid. It was just, go to work."

The cornerback has been playing football since the age of five, but it was in college after his sophomore year that he realized he could actually make it in the NFL.

"This is when I was at Colorado, we played Texas A&M my sophomore year, and that was my first SEC school, like big time game," Gonzalez said. "And I played good. They had a couple receivers that were supposed to be NFL receivers, so it was fun to go out there and do it."

And his efforts certainly paid off, with the Patriots selected him in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He got out to a strong start, but an injury knocked him out for most of his rookie season.

In the four games prior to the injury, he recorded 17 total tackles, one sack, one interception, and three passes defended.

But through all of this, his mindset has never wavered despite any success or any setbacks.

"Just keep my head down and go to work, and earn the trust of the guys and the coaches. Practice pays off."