Patriots Star Defender Snubbed From Offseason List

Christian Gonzalez continues to be overlooked.

The New England Patriots cornerback was not included in Football Focus’ rankings of 25 players under 25. This comes after Gonzalez, who enters his age-23 campaign, was snubbed from being named to the Pro Bowl in 2024.

The Patriots did not have a single player on PFF’s list, though quarterback Drake Maye is perhaps the only other worthy of consideration. The Detroit Lions led all teams with four representatives (Penei Sewell, Brian Branch, Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta).

Five cornerbacks made the list over Gonzalez: Kansas City’s Trent McDuffie (No. 5), Houston’s Derek Stingley Jr. (No. 13), Seattle’s Devon Witherspoon (No. 16), Buffalo’s Christian Benford (No. 18) and Philadelphia’s Cooper DeJean (No. 24). McDuffie, Stingley and Witherspoon all earned Pro Bowl honors. Gonzalez earned second-team All-Pro honors while Benford and DeJean did not.

If Gonzalez uses the most recent snub (and others) as motivation, chances are he’ll see his name on the list entering his age-24 season.