Entering the 2026 offseason with one of the best cornerback trios in football under contract did not prevent the New England Patriots from adding more talent to the group. And so, in the fifth round of the NFL Draft, they selected a toolsy developmental option that is slated to compete for a backup spot this summer.
Let’s take a closer look at that prospect, Wake Forest cornerback Karon Prunty.
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Hard facts
Name: Karon Prunty
Position: Cornerback
Jersey number: 21
Opening day age: 24 (12/24/2001)
Measurements: 6’1 1/2”, 190 lbs, 31 3/4” arm length, 76” wingspan, 9 1/4” hand size, 4.45s 40-yard dash, 6.82s 3-cone drill, 4.20s short shuttle, 33” vertical jump, 10’3” broad jump, 11 bench press reps, 8.66 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: England Patriots (2026-) | College: Kansas (2020-21), South Carolina (2022), North Carolina A&T (2022-24), Wake Forest (2025)
What Prunty may lack in NFL experience, he makes up for with a diverse college résumé that includes 57 games and 3,596 snaps between defense and special teams. The three-star recruit out of I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth, VA, kicked his career off in Kansas, where he started nine games as a true freshman and earned honorable All-Big 12 mention. However, he failed to build on that season with the Jayhawks: Prunty redshirted as a sophomore and subsequently entered the transfer portal.
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He initially joined South Carolina but returned to the portal only a month later due to personal reasons. He eventually ended up at North Carolina A&T, and went on to spend three seasons between 2022 and 2024 with the Aggies. A fixture in their secondary, Prunty started 33 games during that span and picked off five passes. He was recognized as an all-conference player in all three of his seasons (first team 2022, third team 2023 and 2024).
With one year of eligibility left, Prunty opted to again enter the transfer portal in 2025. He took his talents to Wake Forest, where he added 13 more starts to his career totals and set himself up to hear his name called in the 2026 NFL Draft. Prunty was eventually chosen 171st overall by the Patriots in the fifth round.
Scouting report
Strengths: Standing at almost 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, Prunty combines good size and solid length with a strong athletic foundation. He plays the way, too. His straight-line and recovery speed are pro-ready and he back-pedals effectively while also playing with active hands and showing good burst to the ball. His ball production generally is encouraging, as are his instincts and football IQ, patience in coverage, and willingness for run support. This, in turn, allows him to be used in a versatile fashion: he has proven production and experience in both man and zone coverage.
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Weaknesses: Even though Prunty will turn 25 during the upcoming season and played plenty of football in college, his fundamentals are still raw in some respects. He can get grabby at the top of routes leading to penalties and has also had issues finishing tackles and interceptions. His quickness is nothing special, and he is more off a linear athlete than a well-rounded one. In turn, Prunty is not a well-rounded a cornerback from an alignment perspective; he is better suited to line up on the perimeter than inside.
2025 review
Stats: 13 games (13 starts) | 804 defensive snaps, 16 special teams snaps | 40 tackles, 8 missed tackles (16.7%), 2 TFLs, 1 FF, 1 FR | 3 QB pressures (1 sack, 1 hit, 1 hurry) | 52 targets, 25 catches surrendered (48.1%), 330 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 8 PBUs | 5 penalties (incl. 0 declined/offsetting)
Season recap: After what was an individually successful three-year stint at North Carolina A&T, Prunty decided to finish his college career in the ACC: he transferred from the HBCU school to Wake Forest in January 2025, one month after entering the portal for a third time in his college career. Bringing tremendous experience and a track record of production to the Demon Deacons, he promptly entered their starting lineup.
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Prunty never left it, starting all 13 of his team’s games and finishing first among its cornerbacks with 804 snaps. In those snaps, he made a name for himself due to his ability to prevent pass completions.
Prunty finished the year ranked 20th among 269 qualifying FBS cornerbacks in coverage snaps per reception (17.4) and 35th in completion percentage allowed (48.1%). If we look only at the ACC, those rankings improve to second and third, respectively, making it no surprise that he was named third-team all-conference at the conclusion of the season.
He did not fare quite as well in the turnover department — one interception, one forced fumble — but overall finished the season and thus his college career in impressive fashion. Nonetheless, Prunty flew largely under the radar heading toward the NFL and was neither invited to one of the big all-star showcases nor the Scouting Combine.
2026 preview
Position: Perimeter cornerback | Ability: Depth player/Role player | Contract: Signed through 2029 (2030 UFA)
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What will be his role? Even though Prunty saw regular action with the top-tier unit during offseason workouts, that was the byproduct of perimeter starters Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis both being absent. Once they return, he will return to the backup role he is expected to play throughout the 2026 season. Besides serving as depth outside cornerback, he also projects as a possible special teams contributor.
What is his growth potential? Prunty will turn 25 in December, meaning that he is further along in his physical and mental development than other rookie players. Accordingly, his growth curve is unlikely to be quite as steep as one would expect from, for example, a cornerback four years younger. That said, there still are definitive areas he can work on in order to become a serviceable rotational player and core special teamer as well as a potential starter further down the line.
Does he have positional versatility? He did move around the formation a bit during his college career, but overall Prunty projects as a two-area player early in his NFL career: an outside cornerback and special teamer. However, he was not particularly versatile even in the kicking game in college. Besides being a regular on the field goal/extra point blocking unit, he only saw semi-consistent action on two of the four core units (kickoff coverage, punt return). Some of that might have been the result of his extensive defensive usage, but he has yet to prove himself as a key special teamer.
What is his salary cap situation? Prunty signed a four-year, $4.81 million contract shortly after getting drafted, with its 2026 portion counting $991,837 against the Patriots’ cap. That number consists of a $885,000 base salary as well as a fully-guaranteed $106,837 signing bonus proration. At the moment, only that second number counts against New England’s books under the NFL’s Top 51 offseason rule.
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How safe is his roster spot? Just like virtually every other player drafted after the first four rounds, Prunty also will need to earn his spot on the roster rather than being saved by his draft spot. This means that he will need to make himself a valuable commodity as a backup to the aforementioned Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis. How can he do that? By beating out at least five of a seven-player group currently consisting of Charles Woods, Kindle Vildor, Kobee Minor, Marcellas Dial Jr, Brandon Crossley, Channing Canada, and Kenneth Harris. If OTAs are an indication, he should have a decent shot at doing so.
Summary: Prunty offers some intriguing tools as a developmental perimeter cornerback and special teamer. As has been shown time and again in the NFL, however, tools alone do not make a roster-caliber player. If he therefore cannot adjust to the uptick in competition and show some consistency in his development even as a comparatively older player, his 53-man outlook will not be as positive as his first open practice would suggest.
What do you think about Karon Prunty heading into the 2026 season? Will he continue to show promise? Or will he get lost in the backup cornerback shuffle? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
