FOXBOROUGH – Carlton Davis is a competitor. He just can’t help himself.
Before every NFL Draft, the veteran defensive back needs to scope out the competition, so that’s why he watches game film of incoming rookie cornerbacks. This has become a common offseason routine for the 7-year NFL veteran.
It’s also why he knows a little about his new teammate, Christian Gonzalez.
This week, the Patriots signed Davis to a 3-year, $60 million contract with the plan of creating one of the top cornerback duos in the NFL. On Thursday, the 28-year-old said he’s excited to meet Gonzalez after studying up on him prior to the 2024 NFL Draft.
“I’m excited, man. I’m excited. He’s a young, great player. I’ve watched his film even when he was coming out of college,” Davis said. “I always do a little background check of the corners coming into the league. I guess it’s a competitive thing. I liked his film. He’s long, rangy. He’s got good ball skills.”
Davis has been one of the better cover cornerbacks in the NFL since being drafted by Tampa Bay in 2018. He comes to the Patriots having started 88-of-89 games played. He has 11 career interceptions and 84 career passes defended.
At 6-foot-1, he’s also a lengthy cornerback and matches up well with outside receivers. His skillset should fit perfectly with Gonzalez, who’s also 6-foot-1.
The potential tandem has Mike Vrabel excited.
“Hopefully we can just play cat coverage – ‘You’ve got this cat, I’ve got this cat. And we can go to work,’” Vrabel said. “I would say the thing I appreciate about watching CD is they might catch a ball on him, but he just lines back up and he competes and he challenges. He tries to play aggressive that’s a play style we embrace. Corners, that’s a tough position in the National Football League.”
Last year, the Gonzalez earned Second-team All-Pro honors. That marked a breakout year for the team’s 2023 first-round pick. Davis believes that he and Gonzalez will only make each other better.
“He had a really good year last year in my opinion. I didn’t watch too many Patriots tapes but what I see on the highlights, looked like he was playing good ball,” Davis said. “I’m always eager to matchup or just kind of team up with guys who have similar skillset of me. They can push me in practice. I can push them in practice. It’s always iron sharpens iron. I’m excited about that. Excited to practice with him, get to know him a little bit, pick his brain, and see how we can help each other grow.”
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