Where former Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez lands in latest mock drafts on eve of 2023 NFL Draft

'Twas the day before the NFL Draft, when all through the house, not a team was stirring, not even a coach.

The 2023 NFL Draft is 24 hours away, and former Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez has a chance to make history as a member of the Ducks. Gonzalez is a near consensus top-10 draft pick. If so, he will become the highest-drafted Oregon cornerback in program history, beating Alex Molden, going No. 11 overall in the 1996 NFL Draft.

Gonzalez also has the chance to be the fourth consecutive top-10 pick, joining Justin Herbert, Penei Sewell, and Kayvon Thibodeaux.

As one of the strongest cornerback prospects in the draft, Gonzalez is coming off a stellar 2022-2023 campaign with the Ducks. Gonzalez, who transferred from Colorado, followed cornerback coach Demetrice Martin to Oregon, his same coach in Boulder. In his lone season as a Duck, Gonzalez came down with four interceptions, 51 tackles, and seven passes defended. Gonzalez finished the season with an 81.2 PFF defensive grade, leading Oregon's defense while playing the second-highest total snaps.

According to NFLMockDraftDatabase.com, a website that puts together every mock draft of the year and sorts it by players, Gonzalez's consensus pick is No. 7 to the Las Vegas Raiders. Gonzalez's overall rank, taken from over 169 big boards, is 6th overall and has been listed in the first round more than 83-percent of the time.

Before we start, here's NFL.com's scouting report of Gonzalez: "Explosive outside cornerback possessing a rare blend of physical and athletic traits. Gonzalez plays with fluid hips and blazing top-end speed, which should help him match against top-end targets in the future. He can rough up the release or use mirror-and-match footwork from press-man coverage and he has all the tools to become a highly capable route shadow. His technique will get away from him at times and he doesn't play with the level of instincts or ball skills that should make heavy ball production automatic. His testing numbers could send his draft stock skyrocketing, but the ingredients are already present to become a feared CB1 if he plays to his gifts."

In this article, go through where Gonzalez lands in the final mock drafts from major media outlets posted the day before the 2023 NFL Draft.

The 2023 NFL Draft itself starts Thursday at 5 PM PST.

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In the latest ESPN Mock Draft, Gonzalez lands at No. 7 to the Las Vegas Raiders, the consensus pick heading into the draft.

Here's what ESPN's Paul Gutierrez said about the selection: "The Raiders have long prided themselves on their cornerbacks, boasting the likes of Willie Brown, Lester Hayes, Mike Haynes, Terry McDaniel, Charles Woodson and Nnamdi Asomugha, despite swinging and missing in the first round on Fabian Washington, D.J. Hayden, Gareon Conley and Damon Arnette. Las Vegas, which ranked 29th in pass defense last season, is betting the 6-foot-1, 197-pound Gonzalez -- with his unique blend of physical traits, blazing speed and cover-corner sensibilities -- fits with the former group of corners."

In this draft, Gonzalez lands right above another highly-touted cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who goes No. 8 to the Atlanta Falcons. Gonzalez is the highest-mocked Pac-12 player as well.

FOX Sports turned to Joel Klatt for its final mock draft of the year, as Klatt pencils in Gonzalez to land at No. 6 overall to the Detroit Lions.

Here's what Klatt has to say about Gonzalez: ""The Lions need a lot of defensive help. They have a chance, with Aaron Rodgers moving on from Green Bay, now all of a sudden that division seems to be up in the air. Detroit could very easily be the best team in this division next season — particularly if they are able to hit some home runs in this draft. This is a pass defense that needs some length, they need some aggressiveness. With Jeff Okudah moving now, you can get some of that length back with Christian Gonzalez. He has a great bloodline. His dad was a 6-foot-9 basketball player from UTEP. He's aggressive and has good ball skills. … He’s a guy that I think is the best corner in the draft, and I think the Lions take him."

Once again, Gonzalez lands just above Witherspoon, who lands at No. 7 to Las Vegas.

In NFL.com's latest mock draft, Charles Davis has Gonzalez landing at No. 8 overall to the Atlanta Falcons, the lowest so far.

Here's what Davis had to say about the selection: "Falcons decision-makers provide their CB1 with a running mate after heavily considering a pass rusher, and, as discussed with increasing frequency in recent days, RB Bijan Robinson (he's becoming very popular across the league)."

Gonzalez is the second cornerback off the board in Davis' mock draft, going after Witherspoon at No. 6.

The Athletic's NFL Staff put together its final mock draft of the season, projecting Gonzalez to land at No. 7 to the Last Vegas Raiders.

Here's Tashan Reed's explanation of the pick: "The Raiders fielded a call from the Titans about trading down to No. 11, but a deal ultimately didn’t materialize. Instead, they stayed put and took the best defensive player available. Gonzalez has ideal size at 6-foot-2 and 197 pounds, ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, has explosive athleticism, displayed inside-outside versatility, has experience playing various man and zone coverages, is a willing tackler and has refined fundamentals. He’ll be a Year 1 starter and has plenty of upside at just 20 years old."

Danny Kelly of The Ringer has Gonzalez landing at No. 3 to the Arizona Cardinals, the highest of any mock draft, in his final prediction of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Here's what Kelly said of the move: "The Cardinals will surely look to move back from this spot, but if they can’t find a suitable partner for that, grabbing a top-tier defender is a nice consolation prize. Gonzalez is an elite athlete with excellent length, and he brings versatility to play in both man and zone looks. He’s a great building block for a team looking to remake its roster."

If Gonzalez lands at No. 3 overall, he would be the highest pick since Marcus Mariota went second overall in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Jared Mack.