Patriots
Stephon Gilmore has had a big impact on the Patriots during his 4 seasons in Foxborough.
The talented cornerback not only helped New England win its sixth Super Bowl within the 2018 season, he was also nominated to the Pro Bowl thrice and was named the league's best defensive player in 2019 after recording six interceptions and 20 passes defended in 16 games.
Gilmore's calm demeanor and laid-back approach to blocking opposing pass catchers have drawn some comparisons to current Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who impressed in 4 games in his rookie yr in 2023 before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.
In conversation with Mike Reiss from ESPNGilmore agreed that Gonzalez is a worthy comparison to the Patriots' former star defensive back.
“It's his demeanor and how he carries himself on the field – he doesn't say much, but he's a team player,” Gilmore told Reiss. “I know he can really cover man-to-man and shut down the opposition. That's something I definitely like about him.”
“Of course I watched him when he was drafted. I knew the Patriots needed a cornerback and I was happy they got him. I wrote [cornerbacks coach] Mike Pellegrino and said, “He will be good.”
Gilmore, 33, still hopes to sign with an NFL team as a free agent during training camp. Although he remains focused on his own NFL career, Gilmore told Reiss that he hopes to be a valuable resource to Gonzalez as he tries to develop into one of the league's best young cornerbacks.
“I just told him, 'Whatever you wish, just ask me,'” Gilmore said of Gonzalez. “I all the time attempt to help the young guys as much as I can. … I all the time tell him, 'I wish I’d have known what I do know now in my fifth or fourth yr.' But if I can teach a man like him something in his second yr, the sky's the limit.
“I see a lot of myself in him. The key to playing cornerback is the mind game. If you have the right mindset, I think he has every opportunity to be anything he wants to be.”
Gonzalez, 22, noted that although he and Gilmore didn’t share the identical locker room at Gillette Stadium, each cornerbacks began training together in Dallas through the offseason.
“It's really cool to be able to talk to him anytime. He's one of the best to ever do it,” Gonzalez said of Gilmore. “He plays very smart and knows the game really well. If you watch his film, you can see how he played, so I try to emulate certain things.”
This isn't the primary time Gonzalez has been in comparison with Gilmore; veteran cornerback Jonathan Jones noted the similarity late last month.
“He's pretty much stayed the same since last year,” Jones said of Gonzalez. “He comes in but doesn't say much. He kind of reminds me of Gilmore in the sense that he doesn't really say much, but when they step on the field they're playmakers. So it's exciting to see him back after his injury, I think that's going to be good for him.”
Despite the severity of his shoulder injury last October, Gonzalez received a clean bill of health from New England this summer and has fully participated in training camp thus far.
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