The New England Patriots made some changes to their cornerback group this offseason. Among the moves to hopefully upgrade the depth behind a starting trio of Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis and Marcus Jones was adding a trio of rookies.
We already looked at fifth-round draft pick Karon Prunty and undrafted free agent Channing Canada in earlier installments of our Patriots scouting reports. Now, it’s time to meet another UDFA, Kenneth Harris.
Hard facts
Name: Kenneth Harris
Position: Cornerback
Jersey number:
36 (b)
Opening day age: 24 (5/2/2002)
Measurements: 5’11 3/4”, 192 lbs, 9 1/4” hand size, 30 1/2” arm length, 72 1/2” wingspan, 4.45s 40-yard dash, 6.85s 3-cone drill, 4.23s short shuttle, 39 1/2” vertical jump, 10’9” broad jump, 22 bench press reps, 9.41 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: New England Patriots (2026-) | College: Arkansas State (2020-22), Oklahoma State (2023-25)
A three-star recruit out of Caldwell Parish High School in Columbia, LA, Harris began his college career at Arkansas State. In three seasons with the Red Wolves, he appeared in 31 games with 18 starts and registered 71 tackles as well as a trio of interceptions. Following his junior year in Jonesboro, however, he opted to enter the transfer portal and took his talents to Oklahoma State.
Harris spent three years as a Cowboy, adding 28 games and 11 starts to his college résumé. He registered 42 tackles and a sack, with most of his production coming during his final season. After its conclusion and despite performing well during pre-draft testing, he saw the 2026 NFL Draft come and go without being called. Instead, he joined the Patriots as an undrafted rookie shortly thereafter.
Scouting report
Strengths: Harris is an impressive athlete, whose 9.41 Relative Athletic Score ranks in the 95th percentile among all cornerbacks tested over the last 40 years. His play looks the part, too. He has tremendous closing speed and quickness, and good long speed to stick with receivers down the seams. His strength gives him the potential to work as a press-man cornerback. He also has some good versatility, having played both on the perimeter and in the slot throughout his college career. He also has shown a good feel for timing his blitzes.
Weaknesses: Harris was superior athletically than most of the opposition he faced, but the results did not always look like it. He had just three interceptions, and none in his 28 games after transferring to OSU. Despite six years of experience in two different programs, he still is a raw player from a processing and technique perspective. He shows hesitation in his decisions, does not engage aggressively and allows receivers to control reps. His tackling form needs a complete overhaul after he missed on 19.4% of his attempts in college.
2025 review
Stats: 12 games (11 starts) | 669 defensive snaps, 68 special teams snaps | 33 tackles, 15 missed tackles (31.3%), 2 TFLs | 4 QB pressures (1 sack, 1 hit, 2 hurries) | 57 targets, 38 catches surrendered (66.7%), 551 yards, 4 TDs, 5 PBUs | 1 penalty (incl. 0 declined/offsetting)
Season recap: Harris’ career in Stillwater was off to a slow start, but he finally made his way into the Cowboys’ starting lineup in 2025. After beginning the season on the bench, he moved up the ranks in Week 2 against Oregon and never looked back. He finished the year ranked first on the team in defensive snaps (669), even though he had never been a full-time slot cornerback before: between 2020 and 2024, only 4.8% of his snaps had come at that particular position.
Unsurprisingly, there were some growing pains.
Harris allowed two thirds of passes thrown his way to be completed while also giving up four touchdowns and not registering any interceptions or other takeaways. He also had the fourth-worst missed tackle rate among all qualifying Power 5 cornerbacks.
That said, Harris also broke up more passes than any of his teammates and also showed some previously unknown pass-rush prowess: he finished the season with more pressures (4) than in his previous five college campaigns combined (3). And while his final year in college was a mixed bag, it also was a step in the right direction in several areas — one that ultimately allowed him to find a home in the NFL even after going undrafted.
2026 preview
Position: Slot cornerback | Ability: Camp body/Practice squad candidate | Contract: Signed through 2028 (2029 RFA)
What will be his role? With the Patriots’ starting cornerback trio set in stone, Harris will spend the summer competing for a backup role as a rotational nickel and dime option. In addition, he will likely have to carve out a role on special teams in order to maximize his chances of making the roster or practice squad.
What is his growth potential? Based on his athletic profile, Harris appears to have a fairly high ceiling; he has the tools to earn a roster spot and maybe even develop into a valuable reserve and spot starter both in the slot and on the outside. Of course, athletic skill alone does not a great cornerback make. If, for example, his tackling doesn’t improve, he won’t make it very far in the NFL.
Does he have positional versatility? Harris lined up primarily in the slot during his final year at OSU, but he has extensive experience on the outside as well. The Patriots will try not to overload him during his first training camp, however, meaning that he will likely start out at one position — most likely the slot — and then add to his repertoire. Where his versatility could come into play is special teams: he entered the NFL with 10-plus college snaps on the kickoff coverage, punt return and field goal/extra point blocking units.
What is his salary cap situation? The 2026 portion of Harris’ three-year UDFA contract comes with an $887,500 cap figure consisting of a $885,000 base salary and $2,500 signing bonus proration. Only that proration, given its fully-guaranteed nature, is currently counted against New England’s books under the NFL’s Top 51 offseason rule.
How safe is his roster spot? Just like most other undrafted free agents, Harris is facing an uphill battle to make the Patriots’ roster. Between him and what is currently seven other backup cornerbacks — Charles Woods, Kindle Vildor, Kobee Minor, Marcellas Dial Jr, Brandon Crossley, Karon Prunty, Channing Canada — no more than three spots on the team will be available.
Summary: Harris’ athletic skillset is enticing, but unless he puts it to good use — something he failed to consistently do in college — it won’t be enough to crack the 53-man team. If he can show some growth and developmental upside, however, the practice squad might be a realistic landing spot.
What do you think about Kenneth Harris heading into the 2026 season? Will he become the next UDFA cornerback to earn a roster spot? Or will he be headed for the practice squad? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
