If anyone is qualified to assess rookie New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez, it's Devin McCourty.
Before Gonzalez, the Patriots hadn't picked a cornerback in the first round of the NFL Draft since they selected McCourty out of Rutgers with the 27th overall pick in 2010. Gonzalez, a star at Oregon, was the 17th overall selection this year.
Obviously, McCourty can relate to what Gonzalez is going through as he gets accustomed to life in the NFL. But even though they both were first-rounders, McCourty believes there is far more pressure on Gonzalez to succeed than there was on him when he entered the league.
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"When I came in as a rookie, all eyes weren't really on me to be like, 'the guy,'" McCourty told our Phil Perry on NBC Sports Boston's Quick Slants. "A lot of people were disappointed in me getting drafted in the first round, so I didn't have as much pressure. I just came in and played football and was able to make some plays.
"I think for him, he comes in so highly touted. I think when you talk about first-round draft picks, draft day comes, everyone gets excited and then Bill (Belichick) usually trades back. This year, everyone's talking about (Devon) Weatherspoon and Gonzalez, who's going to be the first corner. Like, when he dropped and the Patriots got him, every fan knew him and was so excited, like, 'We can't wait to get this guy.' And that just brings on so much pressure."
McCourty eventually moved to safety, but he shined at cornerback during his rookie campaign. The 36-year-old, who retired after the 2022 NFL season, believes Gonzalez is capable of doing the same.
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"If you go by watching training camp early, the way he's playing in games, you've got to be excited," McCourty said. "I think he's shown, 'I am the guy you thought coming out when it comes to coverage skills and covering guys up.' And I think he's shown, 'I'm going to use this big frame in the NFL. I'm going to be aggressive, I'm going to go tackle, I'm going to do those things.' So I think, obviously you've got to watch week by week how this develops. It's one of your hardest years is your rookie year. You don't know what to expect.
"But I think it looks pretty good I would say overall for this whole Patriots draft class so far. Watching Keion White out there, everybody raving about Marte (Mapu) out of practice, so they've got to be excited with some of these guys and I think Gonzalez leads that group."
Gonzalez will have one last trial run when the Patriots visit the Tennesse Titans for their final preseason game on Friday night. He'll make his official NFL debut when the Patriots host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 10.
You can watch the full "Quick Slants" segment with McCourty and Perry below, and subscribe to the Patriots Talk Podcast to hear the rest of McCourty's conversation with Perry.