Outside of Drake Maye's impressive development, little went right for the New England Patriots in 2024. 
However, on a team where many veterans (and coaches) underperformed and few young players managed to take a sizable leap forward, one star emerged from an otherwise lost season: Christian Gonzalez.
Coming off a promising rookie campaign that ended prematurely due to a shoulder injury, the 2023 first-round pick proved doubters wrong by remaining healthy and playing at a Pro Bowl level throughout the 2024 season.
Routinely tasked with taking on No. 1 receivers, Gonzalez rose to the challenge, earning second-team All-Pro honors and finishing fourth in the NFL Comeback Player of the Year voting.
But just because the former Oregon Duck made the leap from a highly hyped rookie to being recognized as one of the best at his position doesn’t mean he has truly arrived.
In fact, the soft-spoken cornerback sent a scary message to anyone poised to line up across from him for years to come.
During his Feb. 11 appearance on the "The Next Pats Podcast," Gonzalez made it clear that he's not even close to reaching his full potential as a pro.
"Obviously I wanted first-team, but I mean it's nice to hear my name in there," he remarked about being named second-team All-Pro. "I feel like I ain't even scratched the surface."
Given his age (22) and the fact that he'll be playing under a defensive-minded head coach in Mike Vrabel, Gonzalez should back up his message to the rest of the NFL.
Let's not forget that he's still relatively inexperienced, with just 20 games under his belt, and he didn’t have a tremendous supporting cast around him.
With better coaching, an improved pass rush, and another offseason to get stronger, the silky-smooth defensive back should challenge for first-team honors in 2025.
Of course, the Patriots have a long history of boasting a true shutdown corner. But after letting Stephon Gilmore leave, they experienced a bit of a lull at arguably the most important position on that side of the ball.
However, Gonzalez has the confidence and skill set needed to cement his place as the face of New England's defense. And if a superb sophomore season was only scratching the surface, it's scary to think how much better he'll be in 2025 and beyond.
