Before last Sunday's trip to Arizona, Christian Gonzalez stood at his locker in the middle of the Patriots locker room when the topic of Pro Bowl voting came up.

When the words Pro Bowl were first uttered, another voice came from a few feet away "shoot, Pro Bowl? Should be All-Pro."

Those were the words of Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye, whose locker is a few feet away from Gonzalez's inside Gillette Stadium. The Pats young stars, who are the top pillars of New England's rebuild as the team's most recent first-round draft picks, have already bonded over being the future of football in Foxboro.

Nodding in agreement with his quarterback, Gonzalez told Patriots.com he has his sights on being named an All-Pro this season. Following a shutdown performance shadowing Cardinals rookie Marvin Harrison Jr., his teammates have been campaigning on social media for the 22-year-old by captioning posts with "All-Pro Zo."

"All-Pro. All-Pro is definitely a better award than the Pro Bowl. The Pro Bowl is all a bonus. I mean, if it comes, it comes. Cool. But, yeah, definitely striving more for All-Pro," Gonzalez said.

The 2023 first-rounder is making a strong case to make the Associated Press's All-Pro team. New England plays man coverage at the second-highest rate in the NFL (43.6%), joining the Lions as the only two teams who play man coverage over 40% of the time. Unlike zone-scheme corners, Gonzalez typically travels all over the field with opposing No. 1 receivers, with marquee matchups against Ja'Marr Chase, Tyreek Hill, Garrett Wilson, and Davante Adams, among others, this season.

Despite covering elite receivers each week, Gonzalez ranks 12th in passer rating (70.4) into his coverage among 106 qualified corners. Plus, he has only allowed one deep completion on 12 targets, the lowest completion rate on deep throws (min. 10 targets). Individually, Gonzalez held Chase (3 catches, 15 yards), Hill (catch, 10 yards with Tua), Wilson (4 catches, 25 yards), Adams (catch, 16 yards), and most recently, Harrison Jr. (catch, 23 yards) in check.

"It's a lot of fun. It's the best competition. That's what you want. That's what you strive for. It comes down to competition, one on one. It's a lot of fun being able to see the best receivers. That's only gonna make me better," Gonzalez said of covering the top receiver every week.

Although he's a man of few words, Gonzalez's play speaks loudly and his coaches and teammates were happy to heed the call for the Patriots even-keeled corner. On Monday morning, head coach Jerod Mayo called Gonzalez the team's "best player on defense."

"He's our best player on defense, and he proved that [vs. the Cardinals]. Just a guy that goes out there and competes on a down-after-down basis, and he did a good job," said Mayo.

Speaking to reporters following the bye week, cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino was effusive in his praise of Gonzalez while adding color to how challenging Gonzo's role is for the defense.

"I don't see many guys in the NFL following number ones around being in single coverage for most of the game. I don't see it," Pellegrino said. "Gonzo does what we ask him to do at a high level, and what we ask him to do is extremely challenging. He's able to come in with a good attitude, a growth mindset, and get better every day."

During the 2023 draft process, one of the knocks on Gonzalez that caused him to fall to the 17th overall pick was his quiet demeanor. According to teammates, the Oregon product doesn't speak much, even to those close to him, but the Patriots never viewed that as an issue for him or second-rounder Keion White, who has a similar personality.

"If you have enough breath to talk, you're probably not playing enough man [coverage]," Pellegrino joked. Be excited when you make a play. You've worked hard to earn that right to make that play, but at the end of the day, the amount that you talk doesn't mean anything if you can't go out on the field and do it at a consistent level."

White offered an interesting perspective into his rookie classmate's mindset. White, who some projected to go in the first round, fell to the second round (No. 46 overall). The top two picks in New England's 2023 rookie class appear to be a part of the solution to return to a winning franchise, with White recording a team-high 42 quarterback pressures through the first 15 weeks. Like Gonzalez, the knock on White was that some teams prefer more demonstrative players.

"It hurt both of us in the draft. I remember every defensive lineman that went before me. I think that's like the competitor in you. Going as high as he did, you're going to be a competitor. You're going to remember which teams passed over you," White said.

For some, putting on an act for NFL teams to help your stock during the pre-draft process might sound appealing. However, Gonzalez and White vowed to stay true to themselves.

"Both of us went into the draft like we're not going to shuck and jive just for the job and be people that we're not. We were just ourselves, which is quiet and observing. But at the same time being knowledgable in our craft," White recalled. "It worked out for the best because we went to a program that respects that, no-nonsense and more like, can you play football? We don't really care about all the other stuff. It all worked out for both of us."

The Patriots benefited from Gonzalez and White falling in the draft because they weren't super vocal. Gonzalez is the best corner from his draft class after being the third player off the board at his position in the first round. In fact, the corner taken the pick before him by Washington, Emmanuel Forbes, has already been released by the Commanders.

"At the time, it was motivation. The knock on me was that I don't talk a lot, and people thought I wasn't competitive. I got to the league and have shown what I can do. I guess it's because, usually, corners are a lot more talkative and talk a lot more trash. It's just not my game. So, they thought I wasn't competitive."

Looking back on the 2023 first round, it's odd that teams let something like a quieter personality impact their decision-making when Gonzalez was clearly an elite prospect. Now, in his second season, people are seeing his talent. For example, Dolphins star Tyreek Hill is one of Gonzalez's biggest fans. Following the Pats matchup with Miami earlier this season, Hill posted a picture of him lining up across from Gonzalez with the caption: "this young corner is next up top 3 easily." For Gonzalez, the "positive poison" is not something he wants to get in his head.

"You just don't let the positive poison get to you. You appreciate it. You say thank you, and you move on. At the end of the day, that's the noise outside the building. The only thing that really matters is what's inside the building," Gonzalez explained.

Gonzalez has been a bright spot in a disappointing season for the team. Sometimes, more experienced players or standouts on teams headed to the playoffs earn things like Pro Bowl nominations based on reputation. However, Gonzalez is earning buzz for Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors based on merit as one of the NFL's best corners in just his second season in the league.

If there's one player on the Patriots who deserves recognition, it's Gonzalez, who is shutting down the NFL's best receivers on a weekly basis.

Despite covering elite receivers each week, Gonzalez ranks 12th in passer rating (70.4) into his coverage among 106 qualified corners. Plus, he has only allowed one deep completion on 12 targets, the lowest completion rate on deep throws (min. 10 targets). Individually, Gonzalez held Chase (3 catches, 15 yards), Hill (catch, 10 yards with Tua), Wilson (4 catches, 25 yards), Adams (catch, 16 yards), and most recently, Harrison Jr. (catch, 23 yards) in check.

"It's a lot of fun. It's the best competition. That's what you want. That's what you strive for. It comes down to competition, one on one. It's a lot of fun being able to see the best receivers. That's only gonna make me better," Gonzalez said of covering the top receiver every week.

Although he's a man of few words, Gonzalez's play speaks loudly and his coaches and teammates were happy to heed the call for the Patriots even-keeled corner. On Monday morning, head coach Jerod Mayo called Gonzalez the team's "best player on defense."

"He's our best player on defense, and he proved that [vs. the Cardinals]. Just a guy that goes out there and competes on a down-after-down basis, and he did a good job," said Mayo.

Speaking to reporters following the bye week, cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino was effusive in his praise of Gonzalez while adding color to how challenging Gonzo's role is for the defense.

"I don't see many guys in the NFL following number ones around being in single coverage for most of the game. I don't see it," Pellegrino said. "Gonzo does what we ask him to do at a high level, and what we ask him to do is extremely challenging. He's able to come in with a good attitude, a growth mindset, and get better every day."

During the 2023 draft process, one of the knocks on Gonzalez that caused him to fall to the 17th overall pick was his quiet demeanor. According to teammates, the Oregon product doesn't speak much, even to those close to him, but the Patriots never viewed that as an issue for him or second-rounder Keion White, who has a similar personality.

"If you have enough breath to talk, you're probably not playing enough man [coverage]," Pellegrino joked. Be excited when you make a play. You've worked hard to earn that right to make that play, but at the end of the day, the amount that you talk doesn't mean anything if you can't go out on the field and do it at a consistent level."

White offered an interesting perspective into his rookie classmate's mindset. White, who some projected to go in the first round, fell to the second round (No. 46 overall). The top two picks in New England's 2023 rookie class appear to be a part of the solution to return to a winning franchise, with White recording a team-high 42 quarterback pressures through the first 15 weeks. Like Gonzalez, the knock on White was that some teams prefer more demonstrative players.

"It hurt both of us in the draft. I remember every defensive lineman that went before me. I think that's like the competitor in you. Going as high as he did, you're going to be a competitor. You're going to remember which teams passed over you," White said.

For some, putting on an act for NFL teams to help your stock during the pre-draft process might sound appealing. However, Gonzalez and White vowed to stay true to themselves.

"Both of us went into the draft like we're not going to shuck and jive just for the job and be people that we're not. We were just ourselves, which is quiet and observing. But at the same time being knowledgable in our craft," White recalled. "It worked out for the best because we went to a program that respects that, no-nonsense and more like, can you play football? We don't really care about all the other stuff. It all worked out for both of us."

The Patriots benefited from Gonzalez and White falling in the draft because they weren't super vocal. Gonzalez is the best corner from his draft class after being the third player off the board at his position in the first round. In fact, the corner taken the pick before him by Washington, Emmanuel Forbes, has already been released by the Commanders.

"At the time, it was motivation. The knock on me was that I don't talk a lot, and people thought I wasn't competitive. I got to the league and have shown what I can do. I guess it's because, usually, corners are a lot more talkative and talk a lot more trash. It's just not my game. So, they thought I wasn't competitive."

Looking back on the 2023 first round, it's odd that teams let something like a quieter personality impact their decision-making when Gonzalez was clearly an elite prospect. Now, in his second season, people are seeing his talent. For example, Dolphins star Tyreek Hill is one of Gonzalez's biggest fans. Following the Pats matchup with Miami earlier this season, Hill posted a picture of him lining up across from Gonzalez with the caption: "this young corner is next up top 3 easily." For Gonzalez, the "positive poison" is not something he wants to get in his head.

"You just don't let the positive poison get to you. You appreciate it. You say thank you, and you move on. At the end of the day, that's the noise outside the building. The only thing that really matters is what's inside the building," Gonzalez explained.

Gonzalez has been a bright spot in a disappointing season for the team. Sometimes, more experienced players or standouts on teams headed to the playoffs earn things like Pro Bowl nominations based on reputation. However, Gonzalez is earning buzz for Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors based on merit as one of the NFL's best corners in just his second season in the league.

If there's one player on the Patriots who deserves recognition, it's Gonzalez, who is shutting down the NFL's best receivers on a weekly basis.

DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer