Karon Prunty News: Headed to New England

The Patriots selected Prunty in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 171st overall.

Prunty (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) began his college career at Kansas and then spent three seasons with North Carolina AT&T before transferring to Wake Forest in 2025, where he was named to the All-ACC third team. It's something of a surprise to see Prunty come off the board this early, especially given that New England has a pair of entrenched starters at cornerback in Carlton Davis and Christian Gonzalez. As a rookie, Prunty will need to compete for depth opportunities with Kindle Vildor, Charles Woods, Kobee Minor and Marcellas Dial (ACL).