Former Patriots star sees ‘a lot’ of himself in Christian Gonzalez

Stephon Gilmore left a considerable mark on the Patriots during his four seasons in Foxborough.

In addition to helping New England win a sixth Super Bowl during the 2018 season, the talented cornerback earned three Pro Bowl nominations and was recognized as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 after recording six interceptions and 20 pass deflections in 16 games.

Gilmore’s calm demeanor and collected approach while locking down opposing receivers has drawn some comparisons to current Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez — who impressed for four games in his rookie year in 2023 before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.

Speaking to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Gilmore agreed that Gonzalez was a worthy comparison to the former Patriots star defensive back.

“It’s his demeanor and the way he carries himself on the field. He doesn’t talk a lot but he’s a team player,” Gilmore told Reiss. “One thing I know he can do is really cover man-to-man and stop guys. That’s one thing I really like about him.”

“Obviously I watched him when he got drafted, I knew the Patriots needed a corner, and I was glad they got him. I texted him [cornerbacks coach] Mike Pellegrino said, “He’s going to be good.”

Gilmore, 33, is still looking to join an NFL team during training camp as a free agent. But even though he’s still focused on his own NFL career, Gilmore told Reiss he hopes to be a valuable resource for Gonzalez as he looks to become one of the league’s top young cornerbacks.

“I just told him, ‘Whatever you need, just ask me,’” Gilmore said of Gonzalez. “I always try to help kids as much as I can. I tell him all the time, ‘I wish I knew what I know now in fifth or fourth grade.’ But if I can teach a guy like that, in second grade, the sky’s the limit.”

“I see a lot of myself in him. Playing corner is a question of mind. If you have the right mindset, I think he has all the abilities to be what he wants to be.”

Gonzalez, 22, noted that while he and Gilmore didn’t share a locker room at Gillette Stadium, the two cornerbacks began working out together in Dallas this offseason.

“It’s really cool to be able to talk to him at any time. He’s one of the best players to ever do it,” Gonzalez said of Gilmore. “He plays with a lot of intelligence and knows the game very well. When you watch his video, you can see how he played like that, so I try to emulate some things.”

This isn’t the first time Gonzalez has been compared to Gilmore, with veteran Jonathan Jones noting the similarity late last month.

“It’s pretty much the same since he got here last year,” Jones said of Gonzalez. “He comes in, doesn’t say much. He reminds me a little bit of Gilmore in that he doesn’t say much but when they get on the field, they’re playmakers. So it’s exciting to see him come back from injury, I think it’s going to do him some good.”

Despite the severity of his shoulder injury last October, Gonzalez was given a clean bill of health by New England this summer and has been a full participant so far in training camp.