PATRIOTS 2026 FIFTH-ROUND DRAFT PICK KARON PRUNTY
PRESS CONFERENCE
April 25, 2026
Q: I'm curious to figure out what your pre-draft visit was like or your pre-draft contact was like with the Patriots, and were you surprised at all when you got the phone call?
KP: My visit there, it went pretty good. I knew the cornerbacks coach, Justin Hamilton, when he was at Virginia Tech and everything. He had recruited me out of high school and things like that. So, I was very familiar with him. I just met the staff and everything. Everything went good. I know TreVeyon Henderson, the running back, he's also from Virginia, played against him in high school, chopped it up with him on the visit as well. So, overall, I felt like my visit went good. I had a good time there and I enjoyed everything about it.
Q: For those who don't know you, how would you describe your game and are there any cornerbacks you look up to and model your game after?
KP: For the ones that don't know me, I'll just tell them that I'm a consistent player, a guy that has great awareness, great instincts. A guy that's going to give you everything he got. I was a Freshman All-American when I first came to college, HBCU All-American when I was at North Carolina A&T, Wake Forest, Third Team All-ACC, PFF All-ACC. So, I feel like I am proven and I'm only getting better each year. I think I got better and I don't see that stopping when I get to the next level. As far as cornerbacks, I like a lot of cornerbacks. I like Christian Gonzalez. I like Jaycee Horn, Patrick Surtain [II]. I like very tall type of corners.
Q: You just talked about your kind of winding road in college a little bit. Can you take us through that, all the different stops that you had there and what kind of led to that path?
KP: I started off my career at Kansas. I was a Freshman All-American. Big 12 Honorable Mention. Next year, I transferred because of coaching issues. Following that year, I ended up going to North Carolina A&T. I was an HBCU All-American my first year there. Made first team all-conference. Then the next two years, I made all-conference. Then when I got to Wake Forest, I made Third Team All-ACC, PFF All-ACC. My journey has been crazy. It's been a long journey, but it all paid off. Whether it was good decisions or bad decisions, it was all worth it. All the sacrifices I made to finally get here, it finally paid off.
Q: I was curious, you mentioned Christian Gonzalez. What about his play, if anything, have you looked to and what's your level of excitement to join the cornerback room that he's in, along with the others?
KP: The main thing I like about him is he plays with a good pad level. Very consistent, very disciplined. He also has fluid hips. As far as movement, he's kind of my favorite because I feel like everything he does is pretty smooth. Even when he was at Oregon and everything, everything just seemed pretty smooth.
Q: Karon, you mentioned watching Christian Gonzalez, knowing TreVeyon Henderson. I'm curious if you have any other connections with players currently on the Patriots?
KP: No. TreVeyon Henderson, he's the only one I know. I played against him in high school and everything, ran track against him, things like that. He's the only one I know, like, know, know on the team.
Q: Do you have any notable memories of facing him? Did you cover him in a game or anything?
KP: He was more of a running back, so I couldn't really cover him that much, but I did see him break a lot of plays against my team and things like that. It was very fun, very competitive at the time.
Q: Karon, I know that you have a track background, and I'm curious, how important is speed? How big a part of speed is your game? And then also, I noticed you took some special teams' snaps over the course of your college career.
KP: I feel like speed is very important, but you can't always rely on your speed as a corner. Most times, it's good to play with good technique. Good technique outweighs everything.
Q: Where were you playing on special teams?
KP: I was a gunner and a jammer, and then I'll also be on kickoff as a safety sometimes.
Q: Looking at your profile, it looks like you piled up some sacks and hits in your career, you've gotten a good amount of interceptions and disruptions. How important is being a disruptive type of player for you, and how do you prepare yourself to be able to capitalize and put yourself in positions to make plays the way you have in college?
KP: I feel like as a corner, you've got to be productive. I feel I put myself in the right position to make plays. Just watching film, reading formations, knowing route recognitions, things like that. Played college for five years, so I'm very aware of what's going on around me and everything like that. My stats don't lie. I have seven, eight career interceptions, I got two sacks. Those two sacks were at nickel as well, so they weren't at corner. I also had, I think, 28 pass breakups. The stats, they show up for themselves, and my film also shows it.
Q: After your pre-draft meeting with New England, was there a confidence level that you had that you might end up here? Was this a place that you wanted to be drafted to?
KP: Yes, this is a place I wanted to be drafted to. As far as me after my visit and everything, I feel like the visit went good. I felt like if they had the opportunity to get me, I felt like they would've. I feel like when I was there, I feel like I impressed them a lot just with my football knowledge, and my IQ, and just seeing if I can retain information and everything like that. I feel like I did a good job at everything as well. I feel like the meetings and everything went good. I was confident after I left New England and everything, and now we're here.
PATRIOTS 2026 SIXTH ROUND DRAFT PICK DAMETRIOUS CROWNOVER
PRESS CONFERENCE
April 25, 2026
Q: Dametrious, welcome to New England, and congratulations. Where were you when you got the call, and tell us a little bit about your pre-draft connections with the Patriots, if there were any?
DC: Thank you. Yeah, I got to talk to Coach [Mike Vrabel] right before our pro day and came down and got to speak with Coach Doug [Marrone]. But, got to talk to him. Right now, I'm actually at one of my good friend Nate Jackson's, his fiancé, their parents' house. They opened up the place and let us – my whole family's down there. They opened up the place and let us come and wait and watch.
Q: Hi Dametrious, congratulations. I'm just curious, how would you describe your game?
DC: I'm just dominant in the pass game, and just trying to make sure it's something I hold to a higher standard. I'm still developing in the run game and making sure I'm getting better every time I step onto the field to practice it.
Q: Hey Dametrious, congratulations. Are there any NFL vets or pros that you look up to and model your game after?
DC: I watched a lot when I switched over to playing [offensive line]. When I first started playing O-line in college, everybody told me to watch Trent [Williams]. Trent's the guy you've got to watch. I watched a lot of Trent. I watched a lot of LT's [Laremy Tunsil] game from Washington, I believe is where he's at. I watched a lot of their games and tried to take a little bit from each one of their games.
Q: Hey Dametrious, congratulations. I know you played mostly on the right side the last few years at Texas A&M. I'm curious your comfort level playing on the left side and playing some swing tackle?
DC: Yes, it's definitely something that I've been working on, knowing that when I got to this next level that they're going to ask me to do. So it's something I'm not saying I'm 100% at. I would be so confident in my right side, but it's something I'm still working on and getting there. But definitely something that I'm looking to do.
Q: Dametrious, congratulations man. Welcome to New England. Seems like you not only played multiple positions in football, but you played multiple sports. So, how has that background and having a little bit of experience in different things helped you play offensive tackle at a high level?
DC: Yeah, I played a lot of basketball growing up. It was my first love. I fell in love with it. I ended up going down this football road and falling in love with another game. But it helped tremendously, just keeping my feet underneath me and being able to move, my lateral side to side movements, stuff like that.
Q: Dametrious, do you have any connections currently in the Patriots locker room? Do you know anyone who's played for the Patriots or currently plays for the team?
DC: I know Layden Robinson played for the Patriots; he is no longer with them. I don't know anyone that's currently playing for them, I don't believe.
Q: Congratulations, welcome to New England. I'm curious, have you visited Massachusetts, New England before? Is there any memories that you may have of the Patriots organization growing up and how excited are you to get to that area?
DC: I'm extremely excited, I mean, for the opportunity they gave me. I can't wait to be up there. I can't say I've ever been up there, even, ever knew anything about Massachusetts. But I'm definitely excited to get up there and see what they have to offer.
PATRIOTS 2026 SIXTH ROUND DRAFT PICK NAMDI OBIAZOR
PRESS CONFERENCE
April 25, 2026
Q: Namdi, congratulations. If I could start, just so we pronounce everything correctly on TV, can we just have you say your name clearly for us, just so we get it right back here in New England?
NO: NAM-dee oh-bee-EYE-zohr
Q: Congratulations again. When you got the phone call, you're finally going into the NFL now, what were the emotions? What was the reaction?
NO: It was just a weight lifted off my shoulders. Kind of just a good moment just to be around family and finally achieving my goal and dreams.
Q: Congratulations, Namdi. What kind of pre-draft contact did you have with the Patriots?
NO: I spoke to them a few times. I had multiple bowl games I played in, so I spoke with them at the American and also the Senior Bowl, and then also did some zoom calls, too.
Q: Namdi, congratulations. You started as a safety or played some safety in college. Can you just talk about the transition, and how you benefited from playing further away from the ball and now moving a little bit closer?
NO: Yeah, I used to play DB - started off at corner in high school. My first position switch was to safety, got moved there at JUCO. Came to TCU, played my first year at TCU as a safety and then I started a few games, but was also just playing special teams and stuff. But it was, I'd say, an opening at that linebacker spot, one of the older dudes left to the league, and that's kind of when my coaching staff made the decision. They asked me to have a position change, and I knew my coaches pretty much wouldn't be asking me to do the position change if I wasn't able to do it. But I felt like it definitely helped being a former DB.
Q: Hi, congratulations. I'm just curious, how would you describe your game?
NO: I'd say physical.
Q: Hey, congratulations. I know you come from a pretty athletic family with your brother, your sister. How do you think that's helped you grow as an athlete and help with your competitive nature?
NO: I feel like that's played a huge role in my life. I'd really just say it was my dad, always making us just compete against each other, if it was sports or just other simple things in life. I'd say it definitely helped and translated over to our sports that we played.
PATRIOTS 2026 SEVENTH ROUND DRAFT PICK QUINTAYVIOUS HUTCHINS
PRESS CONFERENCE
April 25, 2026
Q: Hey Q [Quintayvious Hutchins], congratulations, man. Good to see you. You obviously had some interactions with Mike Vrabel and Coach Mike Smith at Pro Day. After those interactions, did you feel like this could be a landing spot for you and just, 'Oh we happen to go 20 minutes down the road.' How happy are you about that?
QH: It feels good. I've been there, at BC, for the past 5 years. So, coming back to my second home, besides Alabama, it feels good. Being able to play under the coaches that were able to run our pro day, it just feels like I'm able to go in comfortably to just keep my head up and just work.
Q: Hi Quintayvious, congratulations. What was that like to get the phone call from the Patriots and learn that you're literally headed, as Kevin [Stone] said, 20 minutes down the road?
QH: Yeah, well, it's been a saying since the draft started of how, 'I'm going to be a Patriot, I'm going to be a Patriot.' So, it was shocking, but it wasn't at the same time. If I could be honest, I didn't think I was going to get a call. So, getting that call from the Patriots was like a dream come true, and hope and faith rising inside of me, knowing that I have another chance to go showcase my talent.
Q: What would you say you bring to the table? What are some of your greatest traits and what are Patriot fans going to see from you?
QH: Oh, sure. You're going to see a dynamic special teams player. My career started out with special teams where it comes to kickoffs, kickoff return, punt, punt block. You're going to get a hard worker, a third down guy, also a run stopper. I feel like I have a lot of bend, explosiveness when it comes to third down, second-and-long. So, you're going to get an energetic, young kid that's ready to work and put one foot in the door to lead to two.
Q: Congratulations, Quintayvious. Is there something off the field, maybe a fun fact, hobby, just personal interest that you have that you want Patriots fans to know about you?
QH: Oh, I love bowling. That's the number one thing, I love bowling. I love to fish. I like cars; I get into a lot of cars. I don't really do too much besides football, but like those three things: work on cars, fish or bowl.
PATRIOTS 2026 SEVENTH ROUND DRAFT PICK BEHREN MORTON
PRESS CONFERENCE
April 25, 2026
Q: First of all, congratulations on getting drafted. Can you take us through the visit that you took to New England and what that process was like for you?
BM: Yeah, it was a great visit. The facilities up in New England were awesome. The coaches were great. A lot of one-on-one time with coach [Mike Vrabel]. It was great, really enjoyed my time up there. I'm excited to get up there.
Q: Hi Behren, it's good to talk to you. Congratulations. How do you feel about joining a quarterback room with Drake Maye?
BM: Drake and I were in the same class. We actually went to Elite 11 together. We were Elite 11 finalists. We went to Tennessee, and I got to know him there. He is a great dude. He is a young guy that I can learn from, and obviously he had a tremendous season last year. Getting to learn from him this year and Tommy Devito; this is going to be a great opportunity for me, and I am really excited about it.
Q: Hey, congratulations. Who would you say you model your game after as a quarterback and who did you look up to as a kid?
BM: Growing up I loved Bret Favre. I loved the way that he played. He plays the game with a chip on his shoulder. Being from a small town in Texas, this is a dream come true. To get this opportunity, I am going to take full advantage of it for sure.
Q: Hey, kind of following up on that. First off, congratulations. Welcome to New England. But, following up on that, is that the way that you like to play as well? Do you want to play with a chip on your shoulder? Do you play in a way to try to make plays and prove people wrong?
BM: Yeah, for sure. During my time at Texas Tech, I've been banged up and put up with a broken leg and bum shoulder. But people have counted me out, and this is kind of an opportunity for me to prove people wrong. To get this opportunity by the Patriots, I am going to take full advantage of it for sure.
Q: Congratulations. I was curious, you mentioned a little bit about your relationship with Drake. Having known him, how have you seen him develop in his time in the NFL and what do you recognize about his skill set that makes you excited to work with him even more now?
BM: First off, I think he is a great guy. I think that he is a guy that everyone is attracted to in the locker room. I am really looking forward to picking his brain about what he's done in the league so far. He has been very successful this last year. And so, I am going to do whatever it takes. Throughout the week, game planning prep. What he ever needs. If he needs a coffee from Starbucks, I'm there for Drake. Whatever he needs throughout this process, I am here for him.
Q: Hey Behren, what do you want Patriot fans to know about you as a person off the field? How excited are you to get up to New England and interact with these Patriots fans?
BM: Going back to my time on my way up to Foxborough, when I stopped in Boston, the TSA lady was just like, 'Man, you're going to love it up here.' The people up in Foxborough are awesome. My time when I was up there for just a couple of days were awesome. I'm fired up to be there. I'm a competitor. I'm going to elevate the room for sure. I'm going to do whatever it takes to make this organization better.
Q: Hey Behren. I was curious what the wait was like for you today? Where and with whom were you spending the day, and how did you get the Patriots cap so quickly?
BM: I'm back in Eastland, Texas. We're out here at one of our ranches, and I've got some of my family out here. It was an awesome day. I had an idea that I was going today. One of my agents, he recommended me getting a New England hat, and so it kind of worked out. But this is for sure a really cool moment for me and my family.
Q: Hey, is there a specific thing that excites you most about this opportunity of playing with the Patriots? You mentioned that relationship with Drake. What kind of thing makes you most excited about playing for the Patriots?
BM: The tradition, the legacy that New England carries, to have an opportunity to play for this organization, it's something I've dreamed of since being a little kid. And so, to have this opportunity, this is going to be a really cool experience. I'm going to be a sponge and soak up every information I can get from Drake and the guys that have been in the league for some time. I'm really excited about this opportunity.
Q: Hey Behren, congratulations. You mentioned you had a lot of one-on-one time with Coach, I assume you mean Mike Vrabel, when you visited. Did you get to speak with Josh McDaniels at all, and what were your impressions of him?
BM: Yeah, we actually had a good long talk, and he was very confident about my game. We watched a lot of film and to see where I can fit into this offense. He's obviously had a lot of success in this offense. So, we talked a little bit about the offense, and I think this fits my game really well. I'm excited about this opportunity. I think this is going to be really good for me. I'm ready to get to Foxborough and get started.
