wow! i was struggling to stay awake, got to 14, and they didn't pick. thought ok, typical 1st round trade out, and surrendered to the arms of morpheus. then i wake up and see this?

I stayed up after the trade from 14 to 17 although I half expected another trade down. All the CBs except Witherspoon were still available and I began to wake up again. When Forbes was picked by Washington at 16 and we were next up, I never expected Gonzalez to be the there but there he was staring us in the face. By then I was wide awake with anticipation.
CB was our biggest hole to fill and right there waiting for us was the best CB in the draft.
Great pick to get the highest ranked CB (plus an extra pick from a trade back) at our position of greatest need. Sometimes the stars align just right when you're fully prepared.
Gonzalez was the steal of the 1st round for
TheAthletic and received their first "A" for the draft.
The Patriots married need with value better than any team thus far in the first round. New England had question marks in the secondary, and it landed the highest-rated corner in the draft.
A two-year starter at Colorado, Gonzalez transferred to Oregon last year and thrived with four interceptions and 11 passes defended. He allowed receivers to catch 39 passes (on 64 targets) for 495 yards and three touchdowns, according to Pro Football Focus.
The most physically gifted and smoothest of the cornerbacks, Gonzalez played both outside and in the slot at Oregon last year. With perfect dimensions for a cornerback, Gonzalez (6-1, 3/8, 197) ran a 4.38 40 at the combine and has more fluidity than other upper-tier corners.
Brugler wrote Gonzalez has the skill to be a future Pro Bowler and needs continued work in zone, “but he offers strong man-cover talent with speed, fluid movements and body length to blanket outside receivers.”
Grade: A
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My notes on the draft.
-Petey saw what a lot of us here saw in Witherspoon but taking him with the 5th pick is crazy to me.
-Indy picking Richardson at 4 is another crazy pick to me. Big and athletic but his 53% completion rate in college translates to 43% for his first 2-3 yrs in the NFL. 1 year as a starter at Florida. 17 TDs, 9 ints. The Colts entire front office has a good chance of being fired in 2 years if someone doesn't give Richardson a way to succeed quickly.
- Other notable question marks:
The Bears needing a pass rusher in the worst way but pick OT Darnell Wright at 10. Duh Bears. has a nice ring to it.
Atlanta needing D but picks a RB at 8.
Detroit was last in D in '22 and they pick a RB at 12. I love Gibbs but not at 12.
Maybe the NFC doesn't think much of this year's crop of defensive players. Or maybe the NFC is just dumb at football.