Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, the cornerback position is a under-the-radar need for the Patriots. It may not be a major need, but the team certainly is in position to add.
On the boundary, the addition of Carlton Davis to Christian Gonzalez gives the Patriots two clear starters on the outside. However, adding more competition for the backup spot with Alex Austin, Isaiah Bolden, and Marcellas Dial wouldn’t be a bad idea.
The bigger need though may be in the slot. After losing Jonathan Jones in free agency, Marcus Jones is the team’s lone primary slot corner. Jones projects as a starter but has struggled to stay healthy (something to keep in mind with him potentially playing roles on special teams and offense as well) and is heading into the final year of his contract. Getting him a backup certainly would be helpful – and if that player has starting upside, all the better if the team can’t re-sign Jones for next year.
Which players make the most sense for the Patriots? Let’s take a look, and go over some of the top players at the position in our latest 2025 NFL Draft positional preview…
Travis Hunter
We already covered Travis Hunter in our wide receiver preview. Hunter reportedly rather play wide receiver if he has to choose between the two positions, and for the Patriots in particular he makes more sense as a receiver.
Still, Hunter’s cornerback talents can’t be ignored. It was his more natural position to start college. His ball skills and instincts make him incredibly effective as the catch point, and there aren’t many receivers too quick for him to stay with in the route.
Will he get a chance to do both in the NFL? At the NFL Owners Meetings last month, both head coach Mike Vrabel and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf hinted at their ideal development plans for Hunter.
“I think that there are some things that he can improve on by probably concentrating on just one position, but [I’m] never going to put any restrictions on Travis or any player,” Vrabel said. “If he were on our football team and he showed a great skill at one position, he was starting to really do well in his conditioning and it didn’t fall off and it didn’t drop, we would be open to playing everybody that we had at more than one position. Anything that would help the football team, I would be all in favor of.”
“From my perspective, having him play one way would maybe – I don’t want to say waste, but sort of not be maximizing what he can be,” Wolf told 98.5’s Mike Felger. “So I think wherever he goes, my guess is he’ll be majoring in one position and minoring in the other.”
If the Patriots were to take Hunter at Pick 4, it looks like it makes the most sense for him to ‘major’ in wide receiver. Still, we could end up seeing him on defense as well at some point.
Round 1 cornerbacks
Besides Hunter, who is a unique exception, it would be surprising to see the Patriots take a cornerback in the first round, given what they currently have at the position – especially on the boundary with Gonzalez and Davis.
One of those players is Will Johnson. Johnson was projected to be in the mix to be one of the top picks in the draft this year based on what he did in 2023, but missed a good chunk of the 2024 season due to a foot injury. That could cause him to slide some (he should still go in the top half of the first round), but the tape he has put out is impressive in both man and zone at 6-foot-2, 194 pounds.
Jahdae Barron is the other projected first round cornerback. He’s more experienced as a three-year starter but will turn 24 years old during a rookie year. At 5-foot-11, 194 pounds Barron has experience playing both in the slot and on the boundary. His instincts and play strength allow him to dominate at the line of scrimmage, and that football IQ translates into zone coverage and turns into on-ball production (11 PBUs, five interceptions in 2024).
Day 2 cornerbacks
When it comes to cornerbacks, Day 2 of the draft starts with a pair of players who had a good chance to be first round picks, if not for injuries.
There was a lot of anticipation around East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel heading into the 2024 season. Revel had a breakout season in 2023, and was projected to be in the first round conversation. However he tore his ACL in practice after just three games, and missed the rest of the season.
Revel has great tools at 6-foot-2, 194 pounds while playing with high level speed and strength. However, between his lack of experience and tape, and having to return from a significant knee injury, his prospect makeup is almost all based on potential. He’s a lottery ticket, but a good one.
Benjamin Morrison from Notre Dame was also projected to be a first round pick, but missed most of the season with a hip injury. Morrison is a lockdown cornerback who is at his best when the ball is in the air and at the catch point. He’ll probably be at his best in zone at the next level.
Most of the rest of the Day 2 cornerbacks are bigger press man corners who win more with size and athleticism than technical skill right now. That group includes Maxwell Hairston from Kentucky, Azareye’h Thomas from Florida State, and Trey Amos from Ole Miss, who all project to go in the second round.
In the third round, Darien Porter from Iowa State brings a lot to the table. He’s got elite size at 6-foot-3, 198 pounds and ran a 4.30-second 40 at the Combine. He’s quick as well as fast, and has long arms. All of that together allows him to cover a ton of ground. However, despite those natural traits he didn’t start for the Cyclones until last year – his sixth in college. On one hand, his size and athletic ability should mean a significant ceiling, but that’s brought down some by his overall lack of experience coupled with the fact that he’ll be a 24-year-old rookie.
There is one true slot cornerback projected to go on Day 2, Jacob Parrish from Kansas State. Parrish was one of the best testers at the Combine, including running a 4.35 second 40 at 5-foot-10, 191 pounds. Parrish plays with the quickness needed to defend speed and shifty slot receivers, and showed improved play strength in 2024.
Day 3 boundary cornerbacks
For Day 3, we’ll split up the cornerbacks by where they project to play. Let’s start with the guys on the boundary, who could be options to compete for the depth spots behind Gonzalez and Davis.
The first player that stands out from this group is Denzel Burke from Ohio State, who is one of the more interesting players in this draft. A four-star nationally-ranked recruit coming out of high school, Burke was a breakout star for the Buckeyes when he was named a freshman All-American in 2021 (he was the first freshman at Ohio State to start the season opener on defense since former Patriots linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer in 1996).
After solid seasons in 2022 and 2023 Burke was projected by some to be a first round pick heading into this past college football season, but had relatively down year. That’s dropped his project to early on Day 3.
At 5-foot-11, 186 pounds Burke plays with good physicality, and has the speed to play on the outside. However he didn’t play the ball in the air last year the way he had earlier in his career.
When it comes to Burke, teams are going to have to decide which player they think he really is. For those looking at his earlier tape, he could represent a steal early on Day 3.
Later on Day 3, Bilhal Kone has some interesting upside. At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds he does a great job staying on receivers hips through the route and making plays on the football. He was a standout in the MAC the last two years, and will be tested more at the next level. He’s strong and plays with good instincts, but teams will have to project how that will translate.
Even within looking at boundary corners, the Patriots would have to choose between different prototypes of players. If they want a more shutdown cornerback, Zy Alexander from LSU would be a fit. At 6-foot-1, 187 pounds Alexander does a good job sticking with wide receivers throughout the route and matching patterns. He had a solid season in 2024 and has more room to grow as he was coming back from tearing his ACL in 2023.
The other option would be to add a ball-hawking cornerback. Nohl Williams stands out in that regard, grabbing an FBS-leading seven interceptions in 2024. He also had nine more pass breakups. As a boom-or-bust corner Williams’ game isn’t without risk – he gives up some big plays (but was better about that last year) and has had trouble with penalties.
Day 3 slot cornerbacks
This group of players may be more likely for the Patriots, with the team having less depth in the slot. Also, most of them are projected to go later on Day 3 and have special teams upside.
Upton Stout from Western Kentucky is the top slot cornerback in this range. He’s an experienced three-year starter who has had success at both spots but will probably move inside in the NFL at 5-foot-8, 181 pounds. He plays with quickness, good anticipation, and a high motor, with room to improve in recovery when beat initially.
Stout isn’t the only cornerback who projects to move inside from the boundary at the next level. Jabbar Muhammad from Oregon, Robert Longerbeam from Rutgers, and Justin Walley from Minnesota also fit that description.
Muhammad comes in with a lot of experience, having been a starter for the Washington playoff team in 2023 and then for Oregon last year. He plays bigger than his 5-foot-9, 182 pound frame and does a great job of getting to a point to contest throws when the ball is in the air.
Day 3 hybrid cornerbacks
There are also cornerbacks who project to be able to play both spots in the NFL. If the Patriots are truly looking for depth, these would be the players to target.
Mac McWilliams from UCF stands out in this regard. A Senior Bowl standout, McWilliams has good speed and brings a physical edge to the position. In addition to being able to play inside and out as a cornerback, his athletic profile and skills as a tackler suggest he may be able to mix in at safety as well at 5-foot-10, 191 pounds, but he will need to be better when it comes to defending the deep ball.
Jordan Hancock from Ohio State also projects to be multi-positional, at 6-foot, 195 pounds. Unlike McWilliams who will be taking on a more versatile role at the NFL level Hancock was used as a Swiss Army Knife for Ohio State. Focusing on one position – likely the slot – will help his development, but his ability to play both cornerback spots and some safety does help his value.
Cobee Bryant from Kansas and Quincy Riley from Louisville also project to play both cornerback spots, but are more primary boundary guys than McWilliams and Hancock. Both take an aggressive, ball-hawking approach to the position.