Editor's Note: In the lead-up to the 2025 NFL Draft, Phil Perry is identifying the best fits for the Patriots at each position based on the traits that Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf value as well as intel from coaches and scouts.
We've already hit on offensive tackles, interior offensive linemen, tight ends, running backs and quarterbacks. Next up: slot cornerbacks.
The Patriots are set at corner, right? They have one of the game's best young players at the position in Christian Gonzalez. They have a highly-paid veteran to take on the No. 2 role on the outside in Carlton Davis III.
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Good to go, no?
Well...
With the departure of Jonathan Jones via free agency, and with Marcus Jones headed into a contract year, the team could be on the hunt for a quick-moving, hard-hitting slot corner. And because Marcus Jones has dealt with injury over the last two seasons (16 total games), a rookie nickel defender could end up making an impact in Year 1.
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What would Mike Vrabel want in a player handling that role? He had four different frequently-deployed slot corners during his tenure in Tennessee, all of whom possessed similar traits that made them logical fits for Vrabel's scheme.
Former Patriots slot corner Logan Ryan took the majority of those reps in Tennessee in 2018 and 2019. Desmond King took over in 2020 and gave way to third-round pick Elijah Molden in 2021. Then, in Vrabel's final two seasons with the Titans, second-round pick Roger McCreary was his head coach's go-to guy in the slot.
All four players measured between 5-foot-10 and 5-foot-11. Three of the four weighed between 190 and 192 pounds when they were drafted. (King checked in at 201.)
None were known for their long speed, but all had legitimate lower-body explosiveness that indicated they'd be able to handle the chaotic nature of playing on the interior, where receiver routes are sudden and the transition from coverage to run defense happens in a blink.
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Ryan was lightning quick (6.69-second three-cone, 4.06-second shuttle) as a third-round pick out of Rutgers. King, an Iowa product, was similarly twitchy (6.67-second three-cone, 4.18-second shuttle). Molden, meanwhile, had a 10-foot-5 broad jump (69th percentile).
McCreary was not an elite tester, but when he was leaving Auburn for the NFL, he was considered an aggressor in the secondary with the toughness to bother wideouts at the catch point and rough up running backs in the open field.
Which corners in this year's class project as quicker-than-fast, fearless-tackling, man-to-man defenders at the next level who might be Vrabel's slot of the future?
Let's have a look...
Jahdae Barron, Texas
The Jim Thorpe Award winner as the country's best defensive back, Barron racked up five picks and 67 tackles for the Longhorns last season. Not much projection involved here, as he dominated in the slot for one of the best teams in the country in 2024. He checks every box for the Patriots in this role because of his savvy, suddenness and aggressive tackling.
Unless the Patriots trade back into the first round to get him, the 5-foot-11, 194-pounder likely will be long gone before they'd consider investing here given other glaring needs on the roster.
Jacob Parrish, Kansas State
The 5-foot-10, 191-pounder reportedly made a 30 visit to the Patriots, indicating there's some level of interest in him at One Patriot Place. Easy to see why. He clocked a blazing 4.35-second 40 to go along with eye-opening jumps of 37.5 inches in the vertical and 10-foot-9 in the broad.
He has a nose for the football (seven pass breakups and one interception in 2024) and has a knack for suffocating receivers as the football approaches.
Some question his desire as a tackler, but on Day 2, he looks like the kind of player who'd help take the New England secondary to another level.
Caleb Ransaw, Tulane
Another freak athlete at the position, the 5-foot-11, 197-pounder hit 4.33 seconds on his 40-yard dash and jumped 40 inches in the vertical. There's no wondering whether he has a taste for contact, evident by the fact that he boasts just a five percent career missed tackle rate, per The 33rd Team.
Ransaw is also a player with loads of slot-defender experience (all but 13 career snaps came inside), making his projection a little easier than some others on this list. He might be available later than Parrish, but his play style seems to mesh with what Vrabel wants.
Jordan Hancock, Ohio State
Hancock is a little longer (6-feet, 195 pounds) than most of the options here, but he looks like a fit for the Patriots since he lived in the slot for Ohio State and was always around the football.
In 16 games for the national champs, he totaled eight pass breakups, two forced fumbles and an interception. Vrabel won't have to worry about his fellow Buckeye getting ball-carriers on the ground because he's a sure tackler, and against teams utilizing "big slots" offensively, Hancock could be a nice fit for what will likely be a heavy man-to-man scheme in New England.
Hancock's teammate Denzel Burke (5-foot-11, 186 pounds) played almost exclusively on the outside, making his projection here a little more murky, but he's a rugged tackler and could end up being a slot option at the next level as well.
Mac McWilliams, UCF
Whether or not the Patriots have much interest in McWilliams could be determined by whether or not they view his tackling as something that can be cleaned up. There's no doubt he's willing to be physical, but over the last two seasons he's been credited for 19 missed tackles.
The 5-foot-10, 191-pounder is a fluid athlete whose change-of-direction skills should play in the slot at the NFL level.
Marcus Harris, California
Harris is another corner who played primarily on the outside as a collegian but could kick inside and potentially make a name for himself as a pro.
The 5-foot-10, 189-pounder broke up 35 passes over four seasons and seemed to exhibit the kind of change-of-direction skills necessary to compete in the slot. He also proved to be a high-effort contributor after transferring from Oregon State to Idaho. He blocked a kick, forced a fumble and returned one of his two picks for a touchdown in 2022.
In 2023, he was a first-team AP FCS All-American after pulling down three interceptions and returning one for a score. Playing at a higher level of competition for the Bears last year, he picked off two more passes, broke up six total and made 2.5 tackles for loss.
Justin Walley, Minnesota
Walley could be an attractive option for an analytically-driven team on Day 3 of the draft. The 5-foot-10, 190-pounder ranked first among all defenders with at least 50 targets last season by allowing a completion percentage of just 30 percent, according to Sports Info Solutions.
He's a four-year starter, who earned second-team All-Big 10 honors last year after racking up 10 pass breakups. Though he's looking at a potential position change, going from outside to the slot, his experience and athleticism (4.40-second 40) should help him make the transition.
Alijah Huzzie, North Carolina
If the Patriots are looking for slot defenders with upside, they may want to go elsewhere. Huzzie (5-foot-9, 193 pounds) just tore his ACL in January, and he has six years of college experience under his belt.
His confidence showed, though, when asked to play in man coverage or crash toward the line of scrimmage against the run for the Tar Heels. He also returned 36 punts in his career, including two for touchdowns, giving him some added value for a team in the kicking game if selected late in the draft.
Upton Stout, Western Kentucky
There are a couple of players on this list who don't meet the physical markers Vrabel seems to like in his slot defenders. But their on-field demeanors make them tough omissions.
The first is Stout (5-foot-8, 181 pounds), whose approach befits his name despite his frame. He's a physical man-to-man corner, and he seems to have an affinity for crashing into backfields on blitzes.
His size could make it difficult for him to hold up against the run, but he won't hesitate to stick his nose in the action and impede the progress of opposing ball-carriers while his teammates rally to the football.
Robert Longerbeam, Rutgers
Longerbeam is another slight defender who may be too light to make this list, but his intangibles make him difficult to leave off.
At 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, Longerbeam won't be anyone's idea of an enforcer in the slot, but he's considered to have brought high-end football character to a Rutgers program that pushes its players under head coach Greg Schiano.
Longerbeam clocked a 4.39-second 40 and jumped a whopping 11-foot-2 in the broad jump, indicating he's an NFL-level athlete. A team captain in 2024, he had five career picks and five forced fumbles.