At least two Kentucky players still pondering early NFL Draft jump

It’s still unclear how many Kentucky players requested NFL Draft evaluations, but at least two on the defensive side of the ball said they were going to take their time to make their decisions.

“Not sure,” UK Coach Mark Stoops said when asked if he anticipated any players giving up their final season of eligibility. “There’s a couple of them and we’ll sit down and have some talks here in the next couple days.”

It was a sharp contrast from a year ago after the TaxSlayer Bowl when running back Boom Williams announced he was planning to skip his senior season.

Both defensive end/linebacker Josh Allen and safety Mike Edwards said they were still in the discussion phase of the process.

Allen, who finished the season fourth on the team in tackles with 65 along with 9.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks, said “the time will come” when asked about his decision.

Allen said he plans to sit down with a couple people still and assess his options.

After Kentucky’s 24-23 loss in the Music City Bowl, Edwards said he has a similar plan.

“When the time comes, I’m going to talk it over with my family and talk it over with Coach (Mark) Stoops,” said the safety, who led UK in tackles this season with 97, including four tackles for loss. He had a team-best four interceptions and seven pass breakups.

“It’s not like tomorrow’s the deadline, just take time and see what my family agrees on and stuff like that.”

This story was originally published December 29, 2017 at 10:46 PM with the headline "At least two Kentucky players still pondering early NFL Draft jump."