First image of Christian Gonzalez facing Stefon Diggs at Patriots camp
Gonzalez admitted earlier in the week that he was excited to match up against Diggs in practice. Iron sharpens iron, as the saying goes. Gonzalez is on the rise as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, and Diggs is looking to climb back into the elite tier of wide receivers, following an ACL injury last October.
Before the injury, Diggs was coming off six straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons. There's hope that he can get back to that same level in New England.
One way for Diggs to test himself is frequent head-to-head matchups against one of the top corners in the game.
Gonzalez recently made ESPN's top-10 cornerbacks list, which polled votes from executives, coaches and NFL scouts around the league. The former Oregon standout landed at No. 6 in the rankings with one NFL assistant comparing him to the No. 1 player on the list, Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
"I think Gonzo is the next great one," a veteran NFL assistant said, via ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "Skills, patience, length. He's the closest thing to Pat [Surtain II]. Smooth, big athlete, travels a lot, can matchup against the best guy."
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