Anytime you come across an elite athlete set to get drafted in the 2023 NFL Draft, you can't help but wonder who their parents are, their siblings are, their grandparents are, and so on. Oregon Ducks cornerback/defensive back and top 10 hopeful Christian Gonzalez is no exception.
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Listed at 6-foot-2 and around 200 pounds, Gonzalez had insane testing numbers at the NFL Scouting Combine, according to MockDraftable.
- 95th percentile in the broad jump
- 96th percentile in the vertical
- 89th percentile in the 40-yard dash (ran a 4.38)
- 70th percentile in wingspan
- 53rd percentile in the 10-yard split
- 89th percentile in height
The athleticism shows up on tape for Gonzalez, who played for the University of Colorado Buffaloes before transferring to Oregon. He has long arms and will only be 20 years old on draft night. In his final season at Oregon, Gonzalez had four interceptions, 45 tackles and six pass breakups, and allowed 60.9% of his targets to be caught and three touchdowns. The Colony High School alum was first-team All-Pac-12 in 2022 as well.
With such elite athleticism, again — where did this come from?
Well, it turns out there are several athletes in the family of the Carrollton, Texas, native. More specifically, they include two older sisters, his dad, and even an in-law who has suited up in the NFL.
Christian Gonzalez's Dad: The 6-Foot-9 College Basketball Player
Potential first round cornerback Christian Gonzalez’s father, Hector, played basketball at #UTEP in the 90’s #picksup @UTEPMBB pic.twitter.com/LGrh1wmPdV
— Ryan Guzman (@RyanRGuzman) January 28, 2023
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As mentioned, there are numerous top-tier athletes in his family, and we have to start with his father, Hector Gonzalez.
While his son may have great size for an NFL cornerback, Hector was a basketball player at UTEP. Listed at 6-foot-9 (yes, you read that right), Hector played for the team from 1992-1994. He only started 10 games for the Miners, averaging just 1.2 points per game over his career.
Hector didn't play in the NBA, but he did play semiprofessional basketball in Colombia for the Piratas between 1999-2000. No stats could be found for Hector, though.
In addition to Christian, Hector and mom Temple Gonzalez had four children, including the star cornerback. He has three sisters: Samantha, Melissa and Lily. Samantha and Melissa have enjoyed some serious success in track and field.
Christian's Sister Samantha Gonzalez Was an ACC Champion in Track
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsjYBgWlQFh/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Between 2016 and 2019, Samantha was a University of Miami Hurricanes star athlete. She was named the Gatorade Track and Field Athlete of the Year in Texas in high school in 2015. In high school, she was the Texas state championship in the 300-meter hurdle.
At Miami, she was a second-team All-America in the indoor 4x400, which helped catapult the Hurricanes to win the ACC championship for the event. That happened in her senior year.
Today, Samantha is hopeful of competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Christian's Other Sister Melissa Gonzalez is an Olympian
Like Samantha, Melissa was a star athlete in Texas as a champion hurdler. She ran from 2012-16 for the Texas Longhorns, where she was a 2015 USTFCCCA All-America First Team member of the 4x400m relay.
After her time in Texas, Melissa joined the Colombian national team for track and field. She competed in the 2019 World Championships, 2020 Summer Olympics and 2022 World Championships. She competed in the 400-meter hurdle at each event, finishing 26th, 20th and 17th, respectively.
She also won gold medals via the following competitions, according to Sporting News:
- 2016 South American U23 Games (400-meter hurdles, 4x400 relay)
- 2018 South American Games (4x400 relay)
- 2019 South American Championships (400-meter hurdles, 4x400 relay)
- 2021 South American Championships (400-meter hurdles, 4x400 relay)
- 2022 Ibero-American Games (400-meter hurdles)
Melissa Married an NFL Quarterback: David Blough
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Here's where the NFL connection comes in.
David Blough, 27, is married to Christian's sister, Melissa. Blough is a quarterback who played in college for Purdue from 2014-2018. The two met in high school.
Blough is just as big of a fan of Melissa's as she is of him. When she was running her heat in the women's 400 meters hurdles in Tokyo in 2021, he was cheering her on from the Detroit Lions headquarters. She finished second in her heat, recording a personal best of 55.35 seconds, and advanced to the semis. He went nuts.
Best video you’ll see today: Lions QB David Blough watched his wife Melissa Gonzalez at the Olympics
He EXPLODED as she qualified for the 400m hurdle semis
🎥: @Lions pic.twitter.com/VPHrJqwsBw
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) July 31, 2021
As for Blough, he's currently signed with the Arizona Cardinals, but before then, he played for the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns. He went undrafted in 2019. In four NFL seasons, Blough has seven starts. He's 0-7 and has thrown six touchdowns to nine interceptions.
Christian Gonzalez is about to join his brother-in-law in the NFL. While we don't know if the Arizona Cardinals will unite the two of them, we can't argue that would be a pretty cool sight to see.
