Where the Kentucky football players picked in 2026 NFL Draft landed
Mark Stoops’ tenure as Kentucky football coach may have ended in December, but the NFL Draft offered one final reminder of the success he had in Lexington.
With four Kentucky players picked on the third day of the 2026 draft on Saturday, Stoops ends his UK tenure having produced 34 NFL Draft picks in 13 years. That’s 13 more draft picks than the 21 Wildcats selected in the 13 years before Stoops was hired.
Those numbers do not include former Kentucky wide receiver Barion Brown, who was picked in the sixth round by the New Orleans Saints on Saturday after spending his final college season at LSU.
Here’s a look at where Kentucky’s 2026 NFL draft picks landed.
OG Jalen Farmer (Indianapolis Colts)
The Colts selected Farmer with the 13th pick in the fourth round. He started for two seasons at UK after transferring from Florida. As a junior in 2025, Farmer graded at 84% and surrendered just two pressures, according to UK’s stats. He elected to forgo his final season of eligibility to enter the draft rather than stay in Lexington to play for the new UK coaching staff.
OL Jagger Burton (Green Bay Packers)
The Lexington native and former Frederick Douglass star endure an up-and-down college career for his hometown school, but he enjoyed a breakout senior season that saw him win the starting center job after it appeared he had been recruited over through the transfer portal. Burton played all three interior line positions at UK. The Packers picked Burton with the 13th selection in the fifth round.
WR Kendrick Law (Detroit Lions)
After three seasons at Alabama, Law enjoyed career-best production in one year at Kentucky with 53 catches for 540 yards and three touchdowns. He was UK’s most dynamic playmaker last season but rarely was thrown the ball down the field. He also recorded eight carries and returned kickoffs and punts for the Wildcats. Now, he will hope that versatility earns him a role with the Lions, who selected him with the 28th pick in the fifth round.
RB Seth McGowan (Indianapolis Colts)
McGowan’s career looked finished after he was kicked off the team at Oklahoma following an arrest that eventually ended in him pleading guilty to a felony. But McGowan used his mistake as motivation to work for a second chance. After stops at NAIA Texas College, Butler Community College and New Mexico State, he transferred to UK for his final college season. He totaled 725 yards and 12 touchdowns on 165 carries in one year as a Wildcat. The Colts made him their second UK selection of the draft in the seventh round.