The New England Patriots’ cornerback group had a turbulent 2023.
Even though Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones will return to the field after suffering season-ending injuries, there are still some unanswered questions at the position as 2024 approaches.
Who is going to start in Gonzalez’s place?
Who will cover the gaps in depth?
And will the Patriots try to address those first two questions with some of their draft resources? In such case, they may closely examine Cam Hart as a possible Day 3 target.
Cam Hart Name: Hard truths Placement: Cornerback Education: Notre Dame Age at opening: 23 (12/5/2000) Measurements: 6’3″, 202 lbs, 33″ arm length, 9 3/8″ hand size, 78 7/8″ wingspan, 39 1/2″ vertical jump, 10’10” broad jump, 11 bench press repetitions, 4.5 seconds 40-yard dash, 4.24 seconds short shuttle, 7.12 seconds 3-cone drill Experience Career stats: 149 targets, 75 receptions given up (50.3%), 832 yards, 5 touchdowns, 2 interceptions; 48 games (33 starts); 1,970 defensive snaps; 281 special teams snaps; 6 offensive snaps; 94 tackles; 18 missed tackles (16.1%); 3 forced fumbles; Praise: None at all
Hart attended Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, Maryland, as a two-way player before committing to Notre Dame as a three-star recruit.
Despite being recruited for positions on both sides of the ball, he started his collegiate career as a wide receiver. But in his rookie season of 2019, he switched to cornerback full-time and never looked back.
Hart ended up staying at South Bend for five years in all, during which he started three seasons for the Fighting Irish. In addition to being a dependable cornerback and a former captain of the team, he earned a degree in political science in 2022.
After Hart’s last year of college, he received an invitation to the Senior Bowl.
preliminary profile Consensus big board: No. 98; anticipated round: 3–4; Patriots meeting: Senior Bowl Strengths: At 6-foot-3 and 202 pounds, Hart is a well-built prospect cornerback who understands how to take advantage of his length. He has demonstrated that he can match up well with receivers one-on-one, challenging them all the way through the route until they reach the catch spot. He has a lot of experience as a press-man defender and has the potential to be a disruptive and physical player. Hart possesses adequate speed, even though his 40-yard dash time of 4.5 seconds doesn’t exactly make him stand out. He backpedals fluidly while combining it, and he usually breaks out of it quickly to switch to runner mode.
In zone coverage shells, he can also be a factor because he provides good burst. He appears comfortable playing in zone and taking on wide receivers while simultaneously passing them off. During his college career, Hart also had some successful plays as a run defender. His size allowed him to break free from blocking attempts or reach in to rip the ball loose.
Throughout his career, he has also participated in special teams plays, most notably on the punt return and punt coverage units. Weaknesses: Hart’s size occasionally presents a dilemma. He lacks the agility to keep up with shiftier receivers because of his stiff movements, and he occasionally slows down by taking needless steps. He is a player best suited to match up against bigger and less agile receivers who are unlikely to challenge his change of direction skills and pad level.
Just look at his 15-percentile 3-cone drill (7.12 seconds). After all, he tends to play too upright, which also leads to some tackling problems. During his collegiate career, he missed 16.1% of his tackling attempts, and even in his best season (2021), he was still at 14.3%. Hart’s rather mediocre ball production can also be attributed to his inconsistent ball tracking in the air, particularly considering that he was formerly a wide receiver.
Furthermore, there are some concerns about injuries. Over his five years in college, he underwent three shoulder surgeries in contrast to two interceptions. Patriots sneak peek What would his function be? Hart played outside cornerback for the majority of his collegiate career in a Fighting Irish defense that prioritized man coverage. It is anticipated that he will be utilized similarly when he joins the NFL, and he may see consistent playing time in New England from the start of his career.
But would he be a starter from the start? Though it’s possible, he might be more effective in a specialized role early on, concentrating on covering tight ends and wide receivers who are bigger targets.
What room for growth does he have? Hart has the potential to develop into a three-down defender (with added value on fourth downs) if he can enhance his tackling technique and movement efficiency.
In a perfect world, he would become Christian Gonzalez’s outside running partner in New England, freeing up Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones to play more frequently in their natural interior roles.
Is he versatile in his position? Hart has some limitations when it comes to defense. Having been on the perimeter for 1,820 of his 1,970 defensive snaps (92.4%), he lacks the short-area quickness necessary to consistently move into the slot, as previously mentioned.
Regarding special teams, he does have some positional flexibility; in college, he played on five units, but his primary responsibilities were to the two punt teams, the field goal and extra point blocking squad, and the two punt teams. The Patriots: Why? Marcus Jones, Jonathan Jones, and Christian Gonzalez would currently be the starting cornerback group for the Patriots.
In addition to the fact that two of them are recovering from injuries that ended their seasons, there’s the question of whether the Joneses are more suited to play inside rather than out wide. Hart would give New England some options, but it wouldn’t mean they would take the slot solely. His background in man coverage is an additional benefit.
The Patriots, why not?
Is he the new Joejuan Williams?
Though he was remarkably tall, the former second-round pick of the Patriots never quite developed the necessary foot speed to be successful in the NFL.
In terms of stature and sporting profile, Hart is cut from a similar cloth. His history of injuries may also be cause for concern. One-sentence assessment: Hart has a lot of talent and would help the Patriots fill a need that goes unnoticed, despite the legitimate concerns. Regarding Cam Hart as a possible Patriots target, what are your thoughts? If he shows up early in Round 4, is it worth a shot? Or at that stage of the draft, are some positions just more significant than others?
