Patriots Draft Preview 2026: Cornerbacks

As our 2026 NFL Draft positional preview hits the secondary, it's time to take a look at this year's cornerback class. Cornerback is not an immediate need for the New England Patriots, but it's still a position they should be looking to address.

At the top of the depth chart, they're in good shape for 2026 with Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis on the outside with Marcus Jones in the slot. However, the depth and future outlook isn't as clear. Behind those three the Patriots' current cornerbacks are Charles Woods, Kindle Vidor, and primary special teamers Brandon Crossley, Kobee Minor, and Marcellas Dial.

In the short term the Patriots could use more depth behind their three starters - especially the two on the boundary. Looking longer-term, Davis is in the final year of his contract with guaranteed money at 29 years old. He'd be a candidate to be replaced with somebody on a rookie contract assuming the Patriots extend Gonzalez (and if they don't obviously the cornerback need just becomes even bigger).

Certainly there are players who could fill both roles, as a third cornerback in 2026 with the potential to grow into a starter in Year 2. It's just about how much the Patriots want to invest in the position.

This year's cornerback class is stacked in the middle. There are three projected first-round picks, with most of the talent loaded in the middle. The options are thinner outside of the top 100 compared to the average draft. Keeping that in mind let's take a look at who the Patriots will be considering in the 2026 NFL Draft.

At the top of the draft, Mansoor Delane from LSU looks like he's going to be the top cornerback off the board and a potential top 10 pick. Avieon Terrell is also expected to go in the second half of the first round.

The tougher player to judge is Jermod McCoy from Tennessee. McCoy was an All-American in his lone season as a full-time starter in 2024, but tore his ACL in January and missed the entire season. The rehab process has limited him into this pre-draft process, although he was able to get onto the field for his Pro Day. The question is how teams view his medicals, but he played like a first-round pick during the 2024 season.

Based on the current projections, it's possible that there is a run on cornerbacks between the Patriots' first and second picks. That group is highlighted by D'Angelo Ponds from Indiana, who some experts say could sneak into the first round.

Ponds played on the boundary for the Hoosiers, and was one of the best cornerbacks in the country. However he's built more like a slot cornerback at 5-foot-9, 182 pounds (but plays with great physicality). He held up on the outside in college including a strong performance against Washington wideout Denzel Boston, but there's still questions about his role at the next level. The fact he'll either be undersized as a boundary cornerback or a position-change candidate hurts his stock a bit, but he can play.

Brandon Cisse from South Carolina is also expected to go in this range and is more of a project player. He has tremendous athletic tools and plays very physically, but still struggles against better route runners. He needs to be coached up more but has a high athletic ceiling.

Then there are the more proven options in Colton Hood from Tennessee and Chris Johnson from San Diego State. Oddly enough both measured in exactly the same at the Combine at 6-foot, 193 pounds. If the Patriots are going to get very aggressive in taking a cornerback Hood certainly profiles as their kind of player with his man coverage skills and physicality.

If the Patriots want to go corner with their second pick, among the top options is Davison Igbinosun from Ohio State. He's experienced with 53 career starts, and uses his 6-foot-2, 189-pound size to his advantage. That size and speed helps him defend vertical routes, but underneath he's more inconsistent. That's due in part to penalties. Those were a major problem for him in 2024 when he was flagged 16 (!) times in 16 games, but that number did drop to five in 14 games last year. Coaching that out of his game without taking away his physicality will be key for his development.

Keith Abney from Arizona State is another one of these corners who played on the boundary in college, but projects to move to the inside as a pro. At 5-foot-10, 187 pounds he has a bit more size than some of the others we've listed and he has the physicality to hold up inside, but it's still an adjustment. He's also had some penalty problems, with 13 over the last two years.

There are also two defensive backs expected to go in this range who are cornerback-safety hybrids. With safety also being a position of need for the Patriots (we'll get more into that in our next preview), could they look to take a player that checks two boxes at once?

Treydan Stukes from Arizona is an athletic, high-IQ defensive back who put together a career-year in 2025 with six pass breakups and four interceptions playing mostly in the slot. At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds he has the size to move around the defense, and the movement and recognition to make an impact as a safety as well as a corner. however he is an older prospect, who will be a 25 year old rookie.

Keionte Scott from Miami has been a quick riser since his standout pro day performance. Scott plays with great physicality at 5-foot-11, 193 pounds that allows him to be competitive against the run as well as blitzing. In that sense he profiles more as a box safety than a slot corner - where he spent most of his time at Miami. Meanwhile, he's more inconsistent in coverage. He's also an older prospect who will be a 25 year old rookie.

There's a crowded group of cornerbacks all expected to bridge the end of the third round and the top of the fourth round. While the Patriots probably won't have their choice of all of these players, odds are at least a few should be there.

Most of this group is made up of bigger, outside man corners. There's physical potential, but all come with questions in their prospect makeup.

This group is highlighted by Daylen Everette from Georgia. A 6-foot-1, 196-pound corner who was third-team All-SEC each of the last two years, he has good size and has the speed (4.38 40) and quickness to hang with different types of receivers. However when he is beat initially things can break down, either in terms of big plays or penalties (five last year). As he continues to cut down on those early losses though, his ceiling will keep growing.

Julian Neal from had a standout season in 2025 with two interceptions and 10 pass breakups, but that's his only year of significant starting experience. In his previous four years at Fresno State he started just four games, all in 2024. At 6-foot-2, 203 pounds he has the size and strength to stick with bigger receivers physically, but will be tested by burners.

Malik Muhammad from Texas is sort of the opposite. At 6-foot, 182 pounds he has the size to play on the outside with plenty of quickness in coverage. He will have some trouble with bigger receivers boxing him out though.

For any team looking to really add size at cornerback, Devin Moore from Florida has the build and strength to match up with the bigger receivers in the league. He's 6-foot-3, 198 pounds and excels in press at the line of scrimmage and at the catch point. Injuries are a concern though, limiting him to 30 games in four years with at least one game missed in each college season.

The final projected top-100 cornerback is Chandler Rivers from Duke. Rivers is another player who figures to make the move to the slot after playing on the boundary in college, at 5-foot-9, 185 pounds.

At the start of the offseason, we highlighted the idea that the Patriots should be looking to add 'playmakers' on defense. Cornerback is a spot where those players can be found, even into Day 3 of the draft.

A great example of this is Hezekiah Masses from Cal. Masses was a three-year starter at FIU beginning his freshman year, but when he transferred to Cal last year his production skyrocketed. In 13 games, Masses recorded five interceptions and 13 pass breakups. However, his penalty count hit a career-high eight as well. At 6-foot-1, 179 pounds with long arms, he's able to play with a ball-hawking style while using his length to give himself extra room in coverage.

Masses' Combine testing was a little underwhelming (4.46 40, 31.5-inch vertical) and hurt his draft projection, but he makes up for it with recognition and technique. He looks like he can come in and handle a rotational third cornerback role, and his development will determine

Another cornerback with plus size in this range is Ephesians Prysock from Washington. He was a Combine standout with a 39-inch vertical and good on-field testing. In coverage he's further along in zone than man, but has the physical tools to play either. While he was better overall in coverage last year he didn't have the on-ball production, with five pass breakups and one interception (just the second of his college career). He improved all four years in college - two at Arizona and then two at Washington - which is encouraging.

TJ Hall from Iowa measured in at the Combine at 6-foot-1, 189 pounds but plays bigger than that. He has the physicality and strength to compete against bigger receivers, but will struggle more against speedy vertical players. Unlike some of the other cornerbacks in this range he was cleaner in 2025 in terms of penalties with just two, down from five the year before. As a third cornerback, he could be an option as a matchup player.

Finally in this range, Charles Demmings from Stephen F. Austin has become one of the most-talked-about small-school players in this draft. Demmings only played two years of football in high school - freshman year as a receiver and senior year as a corner - and planned to start a lawn-mowing business with his dad. Yet despite being a zero-star recruit he got a handful of Division-II offers, plus the one FCS offer from SFA.

Demmings spent five years in college, and was a starter for the final three seasons. At 6-foot-1, 193 pounds he has good size and length and uses all of it in coverage. In addition to being strong at the catch point he's a smooth mover which helps him in coverage. There's still some technical things he'll need to clean up, and the adjustment to NFL receivers will be something he'll have to handle. But he has a chance to be a rotational cornerback and special teams contributor early on.

Back to the idea of adding playmakers on defense, and we'll focus on a local prospect in Devon Marshall. Marshall is from Boston and attended Catholic Memorial. From there he went on to play two years for Villanova, and then two more at NC State. He's always done a good job of getting his hands on the football, and had an FBS-leading 16 pass breakups and two interceptions last year.

Like many of the cornerbacks on this list Marshall is a physical, man boundary cornerback. However he's smaller than some of his counterparts, at 5-foot-10, 194 pounds. At the same time, he might not have the quickness to play in the slot. That leaves him as a bit of a tweener, but his play strength and production should be worth a Day 3 flier, if not a UDFA contract.

Finally, there's Thaddeus Dixon. The top projected draft pick from Bill Belichick's North Carolina Tar Heels, Dixon plays like a Belichick corner. After spending a year playing for Stephen Belichick at Washington, he transferred followed him to UNC last year. He's 6-foot-1, 195 pounds and looks to shut opponents down more than hunting the football. His skillset is more well-rounded than built up around one trait. An injury limited him to just seven games last season, impacting his draft projection.