New England Patriots
He’s an under-the-radar pick, a speedy 6-foot-1-inch cornerback.
Wake Forest CB Karon Prunty (center) was the Patriots’ first pick of the final day of the NFL Draft. Scott Kinser
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The Patriots picked Wake Forest cornerback Karon Prunty in the fifth round of the NFL Draft.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior recorded 151 total tackles and six interceptions over the course of his college career, which included stops at several schools.
His most recent stop was at Wake Forest, where he recorded 40 tackles, a sack, and an interception last season.
With a 4.45-second 40-yard dash time, Prunty will bring speed to a position that is already a strength for the Patriots.
Here are five things to know about him.
He flew under the radar during the pre-draft process
Prunty told reporters that his pre-draft visit with New England went well, and he cited his football knowledge as one of the things that impressed the coaching staff.
But, he is a bit of a surprise pick. NFL.com did not have a prospect grade for him. He was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine. New England still called his name on Saturday.
“For the ones that don’t know me, I’ll just tell them that I’m a consistent player, a guy that has great awareness, great instincts,” he said. “A guy that’s going to give you everything he got.”
“I was a Freshman All-American when I first came to college, HBCU All-American when I was at North Carolina A&T, Wake Forest, Third Team All-ACC, PFF All-ACC. So, I feel like I am proven and I’m only getting better each year. I think I got better and I don’t see that stopping when I get to the next level.”
He’s had a “crazy” journey to the pros
Prunty, a Portsmouth, Virginia native, signed with Kansas out of high school. He was a three-star prospect.
He was an honorable mention for the All-Big 12 team, but he said he had issues with the coaching staff and wound up transferring after one season.
He spent three years at North Carolina A&T, the largest historically black college or university (HBCU) in the nation. He was a two-time All-CAA third team selection.
He finished his college career at Wake Forest, where he was a third-team All-ACC selection this year.
“My journey has been crazy,” he said. “It’s been a long journey, but it all paid off. Whether it was good decisions or bad decisions, it was all worth it. All the sacrifices I made to finally get here, it finally paid off.”
He mentioned Christian Gonzalez as one of the players he studies
Christian Gonzalez was selected to his first Pro Bowl this season and is considered to be one of the best young cornerbacks in the game.
Prunty listed Gonzalez among several players he models his game after.
“As far as cornerbacks, I like a lot of cornerbacks,” Prunty said. “I like Christian Gonzalez. I like Jaycee Horn, Patrick Surtain [II]. I like very tall type of corners.”
Cornerback is a strong position for the Patriots, with Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, and Marcus Jones leading the way. There should be room for competition in the reserve roles, though. Kobee Minor and Charles Woods should be in the mix, and Marcellas Dial is coming off a season-ending knee injury.
His new position coach tried to recruit him in the past
Patriots cornerbacks coach Justin Hamilton spent four years coaching at his alma mater Virginia Tech and was involved in the Hokies’ attempts to recruit Prunty.
The familiarity was part of what helped his Patriots visit go well.
“I knew the cornerbacks coach, Justin Hamilton, when he was at Virginia Tech and everything,” Brunty said. “He had recruited me out of high school and things like that. So, I was very familiar with him. I just met the staff and everything. Everything went good.”
He used to run track against TreVeyon Henderson
Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson is also a Virginia native. Prunty said Henderson was the only player on the Patriots’ roster he met before draft night.
“I played against him in high school and everything,” Prunty said. “Ran track against him, things like that. He’s the only one I know, like, know, know on the team.”
Prunty wasn’t matched up with Henderson during the football competitions, but the speedy running back made an impression.
“He was more of a running back, so I couldn’t really cover him that much, but I did see him break a lot of plays against my team and things like that,” Prunty said of Henderson. “It was very fun, very competitive at the time.”
Khari A. Thompson
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
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