Patriots' Christian Gonzalez makes NFL's Top 100 for first time in career
New England Patriots star cornerback Christian Gonzalez has cracked the NFL's Top 100 for the first time of his career.
Heading into his third NFL season, Gonzalez has been ranked No. 84 on the Top 100 list, . The NFL's Top 100 is voted on by players themselves, so it's a pretty big honor for Gonzo.
After he missed the bulk of his rookie season with a shoulder injury, Gonzalez had a solid sophomore campaign for the Patriots in 2024. He earned Second-Team All Pro honors after racking up two interceptions, 11 pass breakups, a fumble recovery for a touchdown, and 59 tackles over his 16 games. Despite matching up with No. 1 receivers for much of the campaign, Gonzalez held opposing quarterbacks to a 71.7 passer rating for the season.
"Gonzalez displayed sticky coverage skills while manning up against opposing WR1s. His ability to hold his own against elite talent in isolation didn't carry over to New England's overall output -- the defense ranked 22nd in both scoring and yards -- but it could eventually become a cheat code of sorts as the unit evolves around him," of Gonzalez's 2024 season.
While the Patriots had a disappointing four-win season in 2024, Gonzalez was one of the few bright spots. He was a big part of New England finishing 10th in passing defense, with the team allowing just 211.5 passing yards per game.
Having a single player in the Top 100 isn't earth-shattering news, but this is already a small step in the right direction for the Patriots. New England had no players ranked in the NFL's Top 100 heading into last season, and only Matthew Judon made the cut in 2023 when he was ranked No. 33.
New Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs was ranked No. 56 heading into last season with the Houston Texans. We'll see where he slots in -- or if he slots in -- on this year's list after he missed much of last season with a torn ACL. It will also be interesting to see if players consider quarterback Drake Maye to be a Top 100 player heading into his second NFL season, which should happen soon if he makes the cut.
NFL Top 100
The NFL is releasing the full Top 100 a few players at a time, with the Top 10 set to be revealed on Sunday, Sept. 1. Here are the rankings so far:
100. Ladd McConkey, WR, LA Chargers
99. Leonard Williams, DL, Seattle Seahawks
98. Aaron Jones, RB, Minnesota Vikings
97. Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons
96. Lavonte David, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
95. Josh Sweat, LB, Arizona Cardinals
94. Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions
93. Creed Humphrey, C, Kansas City Chiefs
92. Jessie Bates, FS, Atlanta Falcons
91. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins
90. Zach Allen, DL, Denver Broncos
89. James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills
88. Andrew Van Ginkel, LB, Minnesota Vikings
87. Quinnen Williams, DT, New York Jets
86. Laremy Tunsil, OT, Washington Commanders
85. Kyren Williams, RB, LA Rams
84. Christian Gonzalez, CB, New England Patriots
83. Cam Heyward, DT, Pittsburgh Steelers
