What They're Saying: Lions Should Target CB Christian Gonzalez at No. 6
The Detroit Lions could still very likely target a cornerback early in the 2023 NFL Draft.
A name that was linked to Detroit early in the pre-draft cycle has now started to be talked about again.
Oregon Ducks defensive back Christian Gonzalez has re-emerged as a target that the Lions could be seriously interested in adding to the roster.
Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn must be among the most excited assistant coaches, due to the drastic upgrade made to the secondary during free agency.
The opportunity now presents itself for the team to add an additional defensive back, and possibly even as early as Day 1.
While many pundits are evaluating Devon Witherspoon's fit, a significant number of draft analysts believe Gonzalez is the better fit for Glenn's defense.
“I like Christian Gonzalez here to the Lions. I think that you look at what they’ve done in the secondary and I know that they’ve addressed it in the draft and they’ve addressed some free agency as well, but his length … he just looks the part," Joel Klatt said recently on his podcast. "And these are the type of guys that you can easily project into being a No. 1 corner and a guy that can be a really lock down guy.
“One of the ways that you can improve young pass rushers is give them some good quality cover corners, so that the ball can come out of the quarterback’s hand quickly. So how do you help Aidan Hutchinson? You give him some good quality secondary players and I think that they can do that with Christian Gonzalez.”
In Dane Brugler's latest NFL mock draft for The Athletic, the talented Ducks defensive back is Detroit's pick at No. 6.
"Most mock drafts have a cornerback pegged here for the Lions … which inevitably means Detroit will take a different position on draft day," writes Brugler. "That said, I’m sticking with Gonzalez because he is one of the top non-quarterbacks in the draft with the traits you bet on at a premium position."
