Patriots draft profile: Cam Hart could become Christian Gonzalez’s running mate on the outside

Hart offers intriguing size at the cornerback position.

2023 was a tumultuous year for the New England Patriots’ cornerback group. And while the unit will get Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones back from their season-ending injuries, some questions still remain at the position heading toward the 2024 season.

Who will start opposite Gonzalez? Who will fill the depth spots? And will the Patriots use some of their draft resources to possibly answer those first two questions? If so, they might take a close look at Cam Hart as a potential Day 3 target.

Hard facts

Name: Cam Hart

Position: Cornerback

School: Notre Dame

Opening day age: 23 (12/5/2000)

Measurements: 6’3”, 202 lbs, 78 7/8” wingspan, 33” arm length, 9 3/8” hand size, 4.5s 40-yard dash, 4.24s short shuttle, 7.12s 3-cone drill, 39 1/2” vertical jump, 10’10” broad jump, 11 bench press reps, 9.00 Relative Athletic Score

Experience

Career statistics: 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 | 149 targets, 75 catches surrendered (50.3%), 832 yards, 5 TDs, 2 INTs

Accolades: N/A

Before arriving at Notre Dame as a three-star recruit, Hart was a two-way player at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, MD. He was recruited on both sides of the ball, and actually began his college career at wide receiver. However, he made the full-time switch to cornerback in his freshman season in 2019 and never looked back.

In total, Hart went on to spend five years in South Bend and was a three-year starter for the Fighting Irish. On top of being a reliable cornerback and one-time team captain, he also graduated with a political science degree in 2022. Hart was invited to the Senior Bowl following the conclusion of his final year in college.

Draft profile

Expected round: 3-4 | Consensus big board: No. 98 | Patriots meeting: Senior Bowl

Strengths: Standing at 6-foot-3, 202 pounds, Hart is a well-built cornerback prospect who knows how to use his length to his advantage. He has shown he can position himself well when matched up one-on-one with receivers, and challenges them throughout the stem of their routes right up until to the catch point. He can be a disruptive and physical player, who offers plenty of experience as a press-man defender.

While his long speed is nothing to write home about, as evidenced by his 4.5-second 40-yard dash, Hart certainly has adequate speed. He combines it with a fluid backpedal and is generally quick to break out of it and get into runner mode. He also offers good burst, which allows him to also become a factor in zone coverage shells. In general, he looks confident playing in zone and both taking on wide receivers and passing them off again.

Hart also had some positive moments as a run defender during his college career, with his frame helping him disengage from blocking attempts or reach in to rip the ball loose. He also has seen special teams action throughout his career, most prominently on the punt return and punt coverage units.

Weaknesses: Hart’s size can be a double-edged sword at times. His movements are quite stiff and he lacks the quickness to hang with shiftier receivers; he also takes unnecessary steps on occasion to slow him down. Look no further than his 15-percentile 3-cone drill (7.12 seconds) to see that he is a player best suited to match up against bigger and less agile receivers that are unlikely to challenge his change of direction skills and his pad level.

He also has a tendency to play too upright, after all, which contributes to some tackling issues as well: he missed 16.1 percent of his tackling attempts during his college career, and even in his best season in that regard (2021) was still at 14.3. Hart also has been uneven tracking the ball in the air, which helps explain his rather pedestrian ball production — especially for a former wide receiver.

In addition, there are some injury concerns. In his five-year college career, he had more shoulder surgeries (3) than interceptions (2).

Patriots preview

What would be his role? Hart spent a vast majority of his college career serving as an outside cornerback in a Fighting Irish defense that went heavy on man coverage. The expectation is that he will be used in a similar fashion upon entering the NFL, and in New England could see regular playing time from early on in his career. Would he be a starter right away, though? It’s possible, but he might be better suited in a specialized role early on, focusing on covering bigger targets at wide receiver and tight end.

What is his growth potential? If he can become more efficient in his movements and improve his tackling technique, Hart could very well turn into a three-down defender (with extra value on fourth downs as well). The ideal scenario in New England would be him turning into Christian Gonzalez’s running mate on the outside, allowing the team to use Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones in their natural interior roles more often.

Does he have positional versatility? Defensively speaking, Hart is somewhat limited. He played 1,820 of his 1,970 defensive snaps on the perimeter (92.4%) and as noted above lacks the short-area quickness to regularly move into the slot. He does have some positional flexibility in terms of special teams: he saw action on five units in college, although the main focus was on the two punt teams as well as the field goal and extra point blocking squad.

Why the Patriots? At the moment, the Patriots’ starting cornerback group would consist of Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones. Besides the fact that two of them are coming off season-ending injuries, there also is the question about the Joneses being better suited to play on the inside than out wide. Adding Hart to the mix would not mean they go into the slot exclusively, but it would give New England some options. His experience in man coverage is an added plus.

Why not the Patriots? Is he Joejuan Williams 2.0? The Patriots probably have few fond memories of their former second-round pick, who was impressively tall but lacked the proper foot speed to succeed at the NFL level. Hart is cut from a similar cloth as far as size and athletic profile. His injury history also could be a red flag.

One-sentence verdict: Although there are legitimate questions, Hart offers plenty of talent and would help address an under-the-radar need for the Patriots.

What do you think about Cam Hart as a potential Patriots target? Worth the shot if he’s around early in Round 4? Or are other positions just more important at that point in the draft? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.