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          Christian Gonzalez surprises HS alma mater before Patriots rookie camp

          • Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff WriterMay 7, 2023, 10:00 AM
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              Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. You can follow Reiss on Twitter at @MikeReiss.
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          FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:

          1. Rookie minicamp: On a day when other first-round draft picks were already participating in rookie minicamp last week, Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez was instead visiting his high school alma mater in The Colony, Texas.

          Coach Bill Belichick might be Mr. No Days Off, but his schedule allowed Gonzalez and the team’s other 11 draft picks to have plenty of them before requiring them to report to Gillette Stadium. It was all by design.

          “It used to be rookie minicamp would start [right after the draft], so you’d go home for three to four days and come back that Thursday. Now they have 10 days, which I think is good,” defensive playcaller Steve Belichick explained.

          “You’re a first-round draft pick -- go home, enjoy it, then get yourself ready to be here through the spring and play some football.”

          Gonzalez, 20, did so by surprising Cougars players -- some of whom were his teammates his senior season -- with inspirational words.

          “We had a really good practice and they saw him walk up. Their eyes were wide,” The Colony head coach Rudy Rangel told ESPN. “He talked about work ethic and being respectful, listening to your coaches.

          “He told them how he had to go back and look at film, and really evaluate when he wasn’t doing some of the things he thought he should be doing, and how important that lesson was for him.”

          Gonzalez and the rest of the rookie class is scheduled to arrive in town later this week, and unlike some past years in New England, early returns will be critical after an 8-9 2022 season that fell short of the standard in Belichick’s tenure.

          Can Gonzalez quickly emerge as a key contributor? How can versatile defensive lineman Keion White (Round 2) help the pass rush? Once linebacker Marte Mapu (Round 3) returns to health from a torn pectoral muscle -- he expects to be cleared by the start of training camp -- will he be a capable sub-package option and core special teamer?

          The team’s official rookie minicamp begins Thursday, but what will unfold is more than just on-field work. Gonzalez & Co. are essentially enrolling in a Patriots 101 class.

          “I’ve always enjoyed when the rookies arrive because of the way Bill sets it up,” said Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, who is back in the NFL after spending the past two seasons as Alabama’s playcaller.

          “We have an orientation period, then a rookie minicamp. We get to work with them in the meeting room, do some team-building with them, then obviously work with them on the field.”

          Eight NFL teams had rookie minicamps late last week, with 23 set to hold them this week. The Rams are the only team not to have an official rookie minicamp.

          Gonzalez received a sneak peek of Gillette Stadium the day after the Patriots drafted him, enjoying his meeting with owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft, the coaching staff and some veteran players, before returning to Texas. Now he's back for the long haul this week.

          “[Rookies] have to get used to the way we do things, get used to the National Football League, how it all works,” O’Brien said. “College football is awesome; you know what I feel about college football. But it’s a big jump.”

          2. Gonzalez’s loyalty: Gonzalez invited Rangel, his high school coach, to the NFL draft in a show of his loyalty. Rangel called it a once-in-a-lifetime experience and relayed how Gonzalez handled adversity that night reflected his personality. “He sat there with four cameras in his face and didn’t flinch when he didn’t go in the top 10,” he said. “One time between draft picks he wanted to talk to my son, who is a freshman on campus, so they FaceTimed and they’re talking trash to each other. He was projected to go a little bit higher and he took note of that, but he was very calm and cool.”

          3. Dugger deal: Only 12 first-round draft picks from 2020 had their fifth-round options picked up last week, a stunningly low total that provides a springboard to revisit New England’s decision to trade out of the first round that year. Belichick had shipped the 23rd pick to the Chargers for second- and third-round selections, which the team turned into safety Kyle Dugger and linebacker Josh Uche. The player the Chargers traded up for, linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr., didn’t have his option picked up. Now with the benefit of three years to judge, it was one of Belichick’s better draft-day trade-downs.

          4. Gesicki/O’Brien connection: When O’Brien was Penn State’s head coach (2012-13), he heavily recruited tight end Mike Gesicki out of Southern Regional High School in New Jersey. “It was one of the few guys at that time we were able to beat Ohio State, so it was a big deal for us,” he recalled.

          But O’Brien departed Penn State to become the Texans' head coach in 2014, when Gesicki’s college career was beginning, so Gesecki never played for O’Brien … until now in New England.

          “It’s kind of that relationship from when he recruited me way back when in high school,” Gesicki said last week. “It’s picking back up where we left off.”

          5. Schedule release: The Patriots’ 2023 opponents are already determined, so Thursday’s anticipated leaguewide schedule release will reveal the when. Among my top questions: Are the Patriots targeted for Aaron Rodgers’ Jets debut, which will likely be in prime time? Who is the opponent for the Germany “home” game (set to be played either Nov. 5 or Nov. 12)? Might road games against Dallas and Denver be paired together for the possibility of a weeklong trip? In mid-to-late August, will the Patriots follow through on preseason discussions to have joint practices and games in Green Bay and Tennessee?

          6. JuJu’s surprise: When receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster walked into the media workroom last week for his first large-scale interview as a Patriot, he seemed surprised at the crowd of reporters and cameras waiting for him. “I think I’m at a concert,” he cracked. There were 11 camera operators and 29 reporters surrounding him -- a reminder of volume of a ravenous New England football media.

          7. They said it: “What really stood out immediately was the chase speed and range. And then the striking ability. For 219-220 pounds, he has serious snap in his body. He reminds me a little bit of Telvin Smith, who was a really good player at Florida State and the Jaguars [2014-18]. In the 9-on-7 inside run drill, he comes downhill and he just buckles people.” -- Jim Nagy, executive director of the Senior Bowl, on Patriots third-round linebacker Marte Mapu of Sacramento State

          8. Vrabel reminisces: If the Titans play a Thursday game, and the Patriots are at home for a Sunday game that same week, it could be the ideal weekend to bring Tennessee head coach Mike Vrabel back to honor him as the well-deserved 2023 inductee into the Patriots Hall of Fame. Vrabel revisited his decision to sign with the Patriots in 2001, saying the Steelers had offered him the same contract without the starting opportunity. So he came to New England with his wife, Jen, and son, Tyler, and then son Carter was born in November. They ultimately settled in Norton, Massachusetts, and watched their family and Vrabel’s career (three Super Bowl rings) grow together in a special time in their life. “It all took off from there,” Vrabel said.

          9. Parcells follow-up: Bill Parcells has been a five-time finalist for the Patriots Hall of Fame, but hasn’t won the fan vote, losing to Drew Bledsoe, Troy Brown, Ty Law, Richard Seymour and now Vrabel. Supporters, grateful for how he brought hope to a doormat franchise, swear by him. Detractors, unwilling to forgive how he left for the Jets, swear at him. The inevitable conclusion regarding the most polarizing candidacy in the 16-year history of the Hall: Parcells’ only chance of induction is if the selection-committee process is altered so head coaches aren’t grouped with players, and/or Robert Kraft uses his executive powers to puts Parcells in himself.

          10. Did you know?: Gonzalez is the second-highest NFL draft pick to have played at The Colony High School. Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Mike Williams, who went fourth overall in 2002 after starring at the University of Texas, is the highest.