Patriots Defender Places Lofty Comparison On Christian Gonzalez

FOXBORO, Mass. — Christian Gonzalez played in just four games in his rookie season with the New England Patriots, but that was enough for some people to put extremely high expectations on him entering his sophomore campaign.

It’s about to get more intense.

“It’s much of the same from when he came in last year,” Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones said of the 22-year-old on Tuesday. “He comes in, he doesn’t say much. He kind of reminds me of (Stephon) Gilmore, in the sense of he doesn’t really say much but when he gets out on the field he’s a playmaker. I’m excited to see him back coming off an injury.”

How do you feel about that, Patriots fans?

Jones obviously didn’t compare Gilmore and Gonzalez directly, but what he did say was enough to likely have fans drooling over the prospects of what they could see out of the second-year cornerback.

Gonzalez is expected to be the on-field leader of the cornerback group, lining up opposite No. 1 wideouts for what likely will be a very good defense. If he can hold up his end of the bargain, which might be tough given the Patriots’ early-season schedule, New England might find itself competing week after week.