Big Board ranking: #18
Positional ranking: #5
Overview
Position: CB
College: Oregon
Class: Sophomore (RS)
Age: 20
Measurables
Height: 6’1 3/8”
Weight: 197 lbs.
Arm length: 32″
Hand size: 9 1/2″
Athletic testing
40-yard dash: 4.38 sec.
10-yard split: 1.54 sec.
Vertical jump: 41.5″
Broad jump: 133.0″
Bench press: 14 reps
3-cone drill: N/A
Short shuttle: N/A
Strengths
Top-tier speed. Lean and athletic build with tremendous length. Extremely fluid. Glides as a runner. Stays extremely low in press coverage with excellent technique. Uses hand checks within five yards without grabbing. Very quick feet for a taller cornerback. Able to not lose a step if leaning in the wrong direction at release. Quick reaction time to mirror breaks in man coverage. Covers a ton of ground in zone coverage. Will flip his hips multiple times to match route combinations. Extremely rangy in Cover-3 drops. Too fast to get beat vertically by speed. Sticks with vertical routes in the side shuffle while keeping his eyes on the quarterback. Excellent feel for assignments versus stack formations. Stays attached to receivers on broken plays. Will switch between left and right cornerback throughout the game. Has experience in both man and zone coverage from the slot. Very smooth catching the ball. Tackles low but is at least effective doing it. Played better and seemed to gain confidence as his lone season at Oregon progressed.
Weaknesses
Inconsistent locating the ball in the air. Instincts and play recognition are lacking versus the run. Slow recognizing screens passes. Not forceful as a tackler. Blocked too easily on runs to the perimeter. Lost back side contain on quarterback keeper and had issues versus the run exposed in opener versus Georgia (2022).
NFL comparison
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
Conclusion
Overall, Gonzalez is a fast, fluid cornerback with impressive upside in both man-to-man and zone coverage. To reach his full potential, the instincts and effectiveness versus the run will need to be improved.