As much deserved grief the Cincinnati Bengals receive for their understaffed scouting department, it would appear they're putting in serious legwork for the 2026 NFL Draft.
With the big event mere weeks away, and months of preceding speculation, we're finally about to get some answers as to what will happen IRL outside of our myriad mock draft scenarios. Most Who Dey Heads are excited to have the 10th overall pick, but dreading the bottom-line outcome.
Plenty of coverage is centered on the first round, but now is the time when sleeper prospects suddenly pop up on the radar. The Bengals are meeting with one cornerback in particular whose pro day and past season's production suggest he could very well be draftable.
Karon Prunty to meet with Bengals, who should dive deeper into Wake Forest
If you're asking, "Who is that?" you're not alone. Yours truly thought the same thing when news of Wake Forest cornerback Karon Prunty's top 30 visit with the Bengals broke, courtesy of ESPN's Ben Baby.
This was from several days ago and wasn't met with much fanfare. However, after digging into Prunty's background, and unearthing his athletic testing numbers, my goodness! We might have something here, y'all.
Prunty had six pass breakups, one interception, and allowed a 65.0 passer rating for the Demon Deacons last year, earning an elite PFF coverage grade of 88.2. That's all the more exceptional considering Prunty transferred to Wake following a three-season starting run at North Carolina A&T of all places.
Now we arrive at the pro day workout. Andrew Kovar of GoDeacs.com reported on Prunty's numbers, which were as follows: a 4.45 40, a 10'3" broad jump, a stellar 4.20-second short shuttle, and a super-quick, 6.82-second 3-cone drill. He has good size, too, at 6'1.5" and 190 pounds, per his RAS numbers.
Did anyone know Wake Forest went from 4-8 in 2024 to 9-4? Quite the turnaround. Prunty was a not-insignificant part of it.
Uhh...also? What are they feeding those fellas down in Winston-Salem? Because my goodness, there are multiple other prospects the Bengals should absolutely be clocking.
Laid it down 👊 pic.twitter.com/7b7z8tjZqe
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) March 26, 2026
Cincinnati badly needs another linebacker. Dylan Hazen played 1,671 snaps for Wake in the last three years. He gave up one TD and had two INTs on 104 targets in pass coverage, and obviously has the athleticism to be a sideline-to-sideline type of playmaker in the heart of a defense.
As for Jayden Loving, well, the Bengals could always use help at defensive tackle. Seems to be the case every year. Rather than rolling the dice on, say, a certain International Player Pathway program prospect who may never work out, taking a late Day 3 flier on Loving could be a sixth- or seventh-round pick well spent.
Not going to pretend like I knew about the general existence of any Wake Forest prospects other than speedy tailback Demond Claiborne and right tackle/probable NFL guard Fa'alili Fa'amoe prior to going down this Demon Deacons rabbit hole. Now, the imagination runs wild with possibilities.
If the Bengals are doing their due diligence on Prunty, they might as well kick the tires on Hazen and Loving to see if they might fit.
Isn't Wake more of a basketball school? Few things surprise me in this line of work nowadays. Wake Forest producing multiple athletic freak shows who could be some of the best NFL Draft sleeper candidates was decidedly not on my 2026 bingo card.