The New England Patriots have the top of their cornerback depth chart settled when everyone is healthy.
The final spot in that room is less certain, and rookie Karon Prunty has made sure to pique interest with his play to snag the opening.
The Athletic identified Prunty as a player with a real chance to survive the upcoming cut to 53, calling the competition for the last cornerback job “wide-open.”
The outlet also noted that Prunty received extensive work with the starting defense while Carlton Davis was sidelined and “didn’t look dramatically out of place.”
Davis returned to practice Saturday after dealing with a hamstring injury, shrinking some of the opportunities that had opened behind Christian Gonzalez.
Nevertheless, the reps gave Prunty a chance to show the Patriots what he could bring to the table as a developmental outside corner.
Prunty Has Made the Most of First-Team Reps
GettyWINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 15: Karon Prunty #3 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons tackles Kobe Paysour #8 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half of a football game at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium on November 15, 2025 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
New England selected Prunty in the fifth round with the No. 171 overall pick in April, adding a long, fast corner who had taken an unconventional path to the NFL.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Prunty ran the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds after finishing his college career at Wake Forest.
His ball production became one of the early stories of Patriots camp.
Patriots.com reported Aug. 7 that Prunty had collected three interceptions in practice and broke up a go-route target intended for A.J. Brown. The outlet described Prunty as the early leader to claim the fifth cornerback spot behind Gonzalez, Davis, Marcus Jones and Charles Woods.
The rookie has since received practical game work, too. Prunty started New England’s 13-13 preseason tie against the Colts and played 40 defensive snaps, via Pats Pulpit. No Patriots cornerback played more.
Those moments make a difference for a fifth-round pick trying to carve out a role on a veteran roster.
Prunty entered camp with attractive physical traits, but the extended first-team work has allowed him to show he can function against NFL receivers rather than living strictly on projection.
Speed Gives Prunty a Developmental Case
Prunty’s eye-catching trait that has helped him is a physical gift.
The Athletic wrote that his speed is something “perhaps only Christian Gonzalez can match” within New England’s secondary.
That’s notable for a 6-foot-1 outside corner whose role would be to operate behind two starters rather than step into a lot of action.
Prunty also arrived with a fair amount of college experience.
He started all 55 games he played in college across Kansas, North Carolina A&T and Wake Forest, and his final season put him back on the NFL radar. Patriots vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden praised Prunty’s physicality and confidence after the draft, while cornerbacks coach Justin Hamilton pointed to his natural man-coverage ability.
Additionally, earlier in camp, Prunty said he had been studying Gonzalez’s technique and trying to pick the standout corner’s brain about what he sees on the field.
The roster trajectory still leaves slim margins to shine. Davis is back, Gonzalez is the crux of the secondary, and Jones and Woods give New England good options behind them.
Prunty will need to keep earning trust in coverage and show enough value on special teams to separate himself from the other corners fighting for the final jobs.
But the fifth-rounder has at least received something every developmental prospect needs: a few occasions to make his presence felt.
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