Duo of former Deacons picked in NFL draft
Last year was the first one since 2016 that Wake Forest did not have an NFL draft pick.
The Deacons weren’t shut out for two straight years.
Former Deacons Karon Prunty and Demond Claiborne were picked in the fifth and sixth rounds, respectively, on Saturday.
Prunty was 171st overall pick, going to the New England Patriots. He only spent one season with the Deacons, having started his career at Kansas and spent the bulk of his collegiate career at North Carolina A&T. Prunty was a third-team All-ACC selection for this past season, allowing a 44.4% catch rate (per Pro Football Focus) and recording 40 tackles, an interception and eight pass break-ups.
Claiborne was the 198th overall pick and is headed to the Minnesota Vikings. He spent all four seasons of his career with the Deacons and is leaving as the No. 4 all-time leading rusher in program history (2,599 yards). He scored 26 rushing touchdowns, fifth-most in Wake Forest history, and had 3,602 all-purpose yards.
Wake’s last draft picks before this season were Malik Mustapha, Caelen Carson and Michael Jurgens in the 2024 draft.
The last time Wake Forest had a player who wasn’t picked in the third day of the draft was Kobie Turner, a third-round pick of the Rams in 2023.
The last first-round pick from Wake Forest was cornerback Kevin Johnson in 2015.
