The Patriots’ first selection in this year’s draft reportedly went down with an injury in the team’s final preseason practice Wednesday.
Per NESN’s Zack Cox, cornerback Christian Gonzalez came up limping after landing awkwardly while defending a pass. The 17th overall pick is said to have hopped to the sideline and still required treatment after practice was over.
According to reports, it looked like trainers were working on Gonzalez’s ankle or foot.
Thankfully, it wasn’t the type of injury that would force the cart to come out but it’s still concerning for a defense that’s going to be relying heavily on his talents this season.
Patriots rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez did not finish practice today after suffering an apparent ankle injury. https://t.co/U3hAGtFuzM pic.twitter.com/4bsRwIGrjl
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) August 23, 2023
Veteran cornerback Jonathan Jones has been dealing with an injury for several weeks and fellow rookie Isaiah Bolden is currently in concussion protocol.
Gonzalez has projected to be the Pats’ No. 1 corner throughout training camp after flashing much of the talent that made him such a standout in Oregon’s secondary.
New England’s defense will be tested right away with matchups against some of the league’s best receiving cores over the first four weeks.
The Patriots play their final preseason game against the Titans on Friday night.