Since walking off the Super Bowl field 76 days ago, the New England Patriots’ goal has been to improve the roster to get back to that stage.
Saturday marked one of the final steps in that process, as the team made five Day 3 selections in the NFL Draft — with improving depth a key point of emphasis.
“It’s invaluable really to roster building as I see it,” vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden said of the final rounds. “The depth part, and I think that’s a big part of where we wanted to come into this draft… It’s all about trying to find competition at the back end of the roster. And you can never have enough depth. We know that. We were fortunate last year. We were a pretty healthy football team through the 2025 season, and you just can’t bank on that happening in the same way.
“And so our goal now is to start really building depth with young players who can come in and this coaching staff can really mold into the type of players that we want. So, this depth on Day 3 and this post-draft that’s getting ready to happen is really important, and it’s something that’s exciting. Our scouts do a great job along with the coaching staff of trying to get the right guys in.”
After trading a pair of fourth-round picks to move up in Rounds 1 and 2, the Patriots waited roughly 70 selections to make their first pick Saturday. That was Wake Forest cornerback Karon Prunty, who joins a depth chart that includes Charles Woods, Marcellas Dial Jr. and Kobee Minor.
“He’s a player that was really intriguing to us because of his length, his speed. He’s an aggressive player,” Cowden explained. “Has an interesting story, starting out at Kansas, and he went to North Carolina [A&T] for a minute and then at Wake Forest.
“We brought Karon in on a 30 visit. He did a great job with our coaching staff. He really represented himself in a really professional manner, and we’re excited to bring his skill set at the perimeter corner and where it goes from there.”
Sticking on the defensive side of the football, the Patriots added TCU linebacker Namdi Obiazor and Boston College pass rusher Quintayvious Hutchins over the final two rounds — both players who are expected to make an immediate impact on special teams.
The other Day 3 selections focused on offense, which included a second investment at offensive tackle with the “massive” Dametrious Crownover after selecting Caleb Lomu in the first round Thursday.
“If I would want a room to be crowded, I’ll take that as being one room that’s crowded,” Cowden said. “It is a premium position in our league and the pool of players that can play the position is, is relatively small. You can never have enough depth.”
Two seventh-round picks also targeted offense. New England added a potential third running back in Alabama’s Jam Miller, while also selecting their third quarterback in Texas Tech’s Behren Morton as a developmental option.
“The first thing that stands out is the toughness. He played through a lot of stuff. He’s been beat up, but he’s played through a lot of stuff,” executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said. “He’s got a live arm. He’s really smart. He’s been productive. He’s played a lot of football, and he’s a really good fit for the type of offense that we want to run.”
New England will now turn to undrafted free agency to round out the roster. Wolf said the team is expected to target wide receiver after not addressing the position in the draft. Reinforcements could also come via trade, with speculation around A.J. Brown continuing as the Patriots look to put the finishing touches on the roster.
“I think there’s always work to be done, as far as filling holes and adding depth at a lot of different spots,” Wolf said. “Now that the draft has ended, our guys are working on college free agency, but as always, we’re always going to try to look for ways to improve the roster.”