Karon Prunty is using Christian Gonzalez as a blueprint.
For a fifth-round rookie trying to carve out a place in the Patriots’ secondary, that means staying close to one of the league’s best young cornerbacks and soaking up whatever he can. Gonzalez has already established himself as one of the top defensive backs in the NFL, and Prunty is treating practice like a classroom.
“Most of the time watching his reps, just trying to pick his brain,” Prunty said. “Just talking to him during practice, after practice about things that he sees on the field, things like that. Just his technique and how he relaxes, trying to take some of his game and apply it to mine.”
The two corners arrived in New England from very different places. Gonzalez came in as a high-end prospect in 2023 and landed with the Patriots at No. 17 overall, a pick that was viewed as a major steal.
Prunty’s path was far less certain. He wasn’t invited to the Scouting Combine before New England took him 171st overall earlier this year.
Even so, Prunty sees a fit in the way Gonzalez plays, and he wants to build his own game around that kind of profile.
“Just be a physical corner that can play it all - press or zone,” he explained. “Always on the body, always on my man. Just doing the right thing and knowing my As, and just doing my job each and every single play, and just getting the trust from the coaches.”
That trust matters most for Prunty as he tries to earn a spot on New England’s 53-man roster before the regular season. And the lesson he keeps hearing from Gonzalez and the other veterans in the Patriots secondary is simple: stay sharp.
“The NFL is very scheme-heavy, so it’s always good to know the offensive coordinator and know the things that they like to run as well,” he said when asked about the advice he had been given. “Going against the offense, I’m just starting to pick up the things that the offense does each and every day. So, I just try to pick up on the little things and just recognize formations and everything to help me with my game.”
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