Steelers are quickly finding out they were right to pass on Christian Gonzalez in the NFL draft

Christian Gonzalez isn't looking much like a $135 million cornerback these days, and Pittsburgh Steelers fans might finally have a reason to feel a little better about passing on him in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The New England Patriots star has been getting roasted lately, and things didn't get any better Sunday morning against the Detroit Lions in Germany. Gonzalez had a chance to bring down Amon-Ra St. Brown in the open field, but the Lions receiver made him miss badly and took off for a 56-yard touchdown.

Steelers fans know all about the Gonzalez draft debate. Pittsburgh took Broderick Jones instead, and that decision aged about as well as leftover pizza on the dashboard. Still Curtain even included Gonzalez among the five missed draft opportunities that Steelers fans have had to stomach over the years. But Gonzalez is suddenly giving New England plenty to worry about, too.

Pittsburgh Steelers may have dodged an expensive Christian Gonzalez problem

Gonzalez has had a brutal couple of weeks, and there's really no way to sugarcoat it.

The Patriots cornerback got absolutely torched by Green Bay in Week 9. He allowed 10 catches on 11 targets for 187 yards and a touchdown. Matthew Golden got him for 105 yards, while Christian Watson added another 82.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, no defender since at least 2018 had allowed two different receivers to each rack up more than 80 yards against him in the same game.

That's an ugly stat for anybody. For a cornerback who just became the highest-paid player at his position, it's downright embarrassing.

Then came Sunday's whiff against St. Brown. One missed tackle doesn't define a player, but after that Packers performance, Gonzalez really needed something better.

The Patriots recently gave him a massive four-year extension worth $135 million, including $102 million guaranteed. That's an awful lot of money for a cornerback who suddenly can't seem to stay out of the highlight reels for the wrong reasons.

And Steelers fans should be paying attention.

Gonzalez's deal helped drive up the price of cornerbacks around the league, including Pittsburgh's own Joey Porter Jr. That only made an already difficult contract situation tougher before the Steelers eventually shipped Porter to Dallas.

Nobody should pretend Pittsburgh won the 2023 draft decision just because Gonzalez has been struggling.

The Steelers traded up for Jones, watched him fail to develop into a reliable starting tackle, and eventually sent him to Dallas. Their Broderick Jones draft gamble was a miss, regardless of what happens in New England.

Gonzalez also has an All-Pro selection, a Pro Bowl appearance, and a Super Bowl trip on his résumé. Jones never came close to delivering that kind of return for Pittsburgh.

But the Patriots are now paying Gonzalez like one of the best defensive players in football, and lately, he's looked anything but that.

The Steelers probably still would've been better off drafting Gonzalez. But watching New England's $135 million investment get burned in consecutive games certainly takes some of the sting out of that missed opportunity.

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