With all that's been going on with the New England Patriots both before and after the 2026 NFL Draft, there are some things which have not been talked about maybe as much as they should be.
One of the top questions from fans across the league, after the draft, is how their particular team is going to address the biggest remaining roster holes. You'd be hard-pressed to find a team that doesn't have at least one or two areas they could stand to improve, and the Patriots are no different.
In his latest column, ESPN's Aaron Schatz pointed out that, while "no starting position is a problem for the defending AFC champions," they have one area of need when it comes to their reserves: cornerback.
When talking about the reserves behind starters Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, and Marcus Jones, the first name Schatz brought up was 2026 fifth-round pick Karon Prunty.
New England Patriots rookie Karon Prunty has an opportunity to prove everyone wrong while patching a giant roster hole
Wrote Schatz:
"Fifth-round rookie Karon Prunty was seen as a reach by consensus boards, and Scouts Inc. didn't even rank him among their top 300 players for this year's draft."
By now, a lot of Patriots fans know a little about Prunty. What they know is that he was widely considered to be a reach. Yes, he wasn't even listed in some of the top big boards out there. If he was, Prunty was looked at as an undrafted free agent type.
Heck, in one of the most-respected draft profile series done by NFL Media's Lance Zierlein, you can see things written like "makes too many mistakes," "Lacks fluidity and balance," and "needs to be quicker in taking clues from the quarterback."
Those aren't exactly votes of confidence.
To be fair, though, Prunty does have the height and length for the position, and he is a physical player. Like Zierlein also wrote, "when he is in position," Prunty is hard for opposing receivers to deal with.
So, as the Patriots look to try and figure out their cornerback depth chart, Prunty has an opportunity to fill that top reserve void by figuring out how he can more consistently be in good position. That's where coaching comes into play.
If Prunty has the physical traits to make it in the NFL, then from here, it's about getting him in the right position and that happens between the ears.
As Schatz pointed out, the Patriots' top backup right now is Kindle Vildor. He's been part of six different rosters since 2022. You'd think Prunty has a wide-open door to make a statement and earn his keep as a key backup, even as a rookie.
Going from some guy who should never have been drafted to a top reserve could make for quite the story. Here's to hoping Prunty can take advantage.
Add us as a preferred source on Google