What drafting Karon Prunty in Round 5 means for the Patriots
The Demon Deacons product got the call at No. 171 overall.
WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 27: Karon Prunty #3 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons signals for a fourth down during the first half of a football game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium on September 27, 2025 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images) | Getty Images The New England Patriots opened the final hours of the 2026 NFL draft in the secondary. The war room in Foxborough selected Wake Forest cornerback Karon Prunty in the fifth round at No.
171 overall on Saturday afternoon. Here’s an initial look into why and what’s ahead. An experienced three-school prospect A three-star recruit out of Virginia’s I.
C. Norcom High School, Prunty’s NCAA run dated back to 2020. He made stops at Kansas and North Carolina A&T before transferring to Wake Forest for his final year of eligibility.
From there, the third-team All-CAA selection became a third-team All-ACC selection. Prunty appeared in all 13 games last fall for the Demon Deacons. He finished with a 44.