FOXBOROUGH – Tyreek Hill has seen it all.
In his ninth season, he’s one of the most accomplished receivers in the NFL. A Super Bowl champion to go with eight Pro Bowls and six All-Pros, Hill is on his way to becoming a Hall-of-Famer.
He also knows defensive back talent when he sees it. That’s why what he said about Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez is noteworthy.
This week, on his Snapchat account, Hill posted a photo of Gonzalez covering him in last weekend’s matchup between the Patriots and Miami Dolphins. Hill’s captain read, “This young corner is next up. Top 3 easily.”
For Gonzalez, the praise from Hill felt good, but he said he won’t rest on his laurels.
“It’s cool. It’s cool hearing it. I appreciate it. Everybody knows what he brings to the field. One of the best in the league,” Gonzalez told MassLive. “It’s cool hearing it, but you have to take it with a grain of salt as well. You’ve got to keep going. It’s still early in the season, so I still have a lot of ball to play.”
Hill caught six passes for 69 yards in the Dolphins win over the Patriots. With Gonzalez in coverage, Hill caught two of four targets for 34 yards. The Patriots second-year cornerback almost had an interception in one of those targets, but Hill knocked the ball out of his hands.
This season, Gonzalez has arguably been the Patriots best player. In five games, opposing quarterbacks are completing just 36% of their passes with Gonzalez in coverage. The corner has allowed nine catches on 25 targets for 94 yards with one touchdown to go with two pass breakups and an interception.
Gonzalez was the Patriots top cornerback as a rookie but his first year was cut short after he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 4. The missed time didn’t impact him at all.
“I would say it’s because he’s a dog. That’s what it is,” Patriots cornerback coach Mike Pellegrino said. “He’s not satisfied with being ok. He wants to be great and he’s on that path. He did a great job in his rehab process now he’s just reaping the rewards.”
“I was able to learn a lot more about the game,” Gonzalez added. “But also, at the end of the day, it’s football. I’ve played football my whole life. It’s more fun coming back.”
This season, Gonzalez has shadowed No. 1 receivers in every game. In Week 1, he allowed one catch to Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase for seven yards. In Week 2, he allowed two catches on five targets to Seattle’s DK Metcalf for 24 yards. In Week 3, Gonzalez allowed a touchdown to New York’s Garrett Wilson but allowed three catches on seven targets for 19 yards that game with the Jet’s top receiver in coverage.
Against San Francisco, Gonzalez allowed one catch on four targets for 10 yards. He covered both Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.
The performance has made his cornerback coach proud.
“He came in very talented. He always had that dog,” Pellegrino said. “His growth as an NFL player to just learn how the teams, players are trying to attack him, learning more about the big picture, is tremendous. He’s a really smart guy. You really only have to tell him things one time for him to get it. Not a repeat error guy, which is great. I’m just super proud of him. I can’t stress that enough.”
Heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, Gonzalez was convinced he was going to be a top-10 pick. However, the cornerback slid down the first round until the Patriots drafted him at No. 17.
This season, Gonzalez has proven teams wrong.
“I’m here for a reason. Yeah, we thought that (I’d go in the top 10), but I knew what I brought to the table,” Gonzalez said. “It was never about proving people wrong. It was about proving myself right.”
