Which UK players could be picked in the 2021 NFL Draft? Here are some guesses.
The 2020 NFL Draft is complete, and two former University of Kentucky stars heard their names called.
Lynn Bowden and Logan Stenberg were the only UK players drafted this year, but there’s a chance that the number of Wildcats selected in 2021 could end up being the most since the event became a seven-round ordeal in 1994. Counting non-scholarship players, 27 seniors are set to leave the program after next season, and at least a few of them should be locks to have their names called as long as they remain healthy and continue to display the level of talent necessary to compete in the league.
With so many variables in play — including when, or if, the 2020 college football season is played — and most “way-too-early” 2021 mock drafts focused only on the first round, it’s hard to project where guys could potentially land, but we can at least consider who those most likely to be drafted might be. Let’s take a quick dive.
Linemen lead
Landon Young contemplated entering this year’s draft, and likely would have been a late-round selection. He bet on himself and will return as a senior hoping to bolster his stock. The 6-foot-7 offensive tackle out of Lafayette High School, who started every game last year after missing all of 2018 with a knee injury, should have no problem following former high school teammate Jedrick Wills into the league next season.
Quinton Bohanna, a nose guard, also decided to return for his senior year. He too probably would have been picked late but the 6-foot-4, 367-pound native of Tennessee has a chance to solidify himself as a defensive prospect worthy of high-to-mid-round consideration. He’s started 19 consecutive games at UK, a streak that should grow to at least 31 by 2020’s end.
The next-most likely lineman on either side of the ball to be taken might be Darian Kinnard, a junior who could become an early entrant, and in doing so could be the most desirable Wildcat in next year’s draft. Kinnard — a 6-foot-5, 347-pound talent — was nearly a top-100 recruit coming out of high school and considered a top-20 offensive tackle, nationally. He started every game at right tackle last season as a true sophomore, finishing with 32 knockdowns and just one penalty all year.
Another local product — Drake Jackson — seems like a good bet to get picked or, at the very least, to make a training-camp roster. Following in the footsteps of Jon Toth — who spent a couple years in the league — Jackson has started 33 straight games for the Wildcats at center, a streak that started when he was a redshirt freshman. At 6-2, he’s a little slight compared to most NFL centers, but he’s already proven capable of standing out despite that in college; he was named to the Southeastern Conference First Team Offense last season.
A couple of other senior big men — offensive tackle Luke Fortner (6-6, 305) and defensive tackle Phil Hoskins (6-5, 310) — will test the waters but might have a tough time standing out.
Interesting cases
Several other seniors — cornerback Brandin Echols, tight end Justin Rigg, safety Davonte Robinson and linebacker Jamar “Boogie” Watson — all could make strong cases to be middle-to-late-round choices in next year’s draft if their senior campaigns are as good or better than their 2019 editions (Robinson didn’t actually get to play last season due to a quad injury, but his 6-2 frame, speed and ability to adapt within schemes make him an attractive candidate for the next level).
Another name in the defensive backfield to watch: Kelvin Joseph. UK’s coaches have raved internally about the LSU transfer’s play and he could bolt after a single season in a Kentucky uniform, should he live up to that billing. The one-and-done approach could be making a pitstop at Kroger Field before hopping along to Rupp Arena.
Josh Ali and A.J. Rose are the only seniors at skill positions. Ali is under-sized for the next level and has yet to demonstrate enough on the field to consider him a surefire pickup, whether it be late in the draft or as a post-draft free agent. Rose, if he can show more prowess as a pass-catcher in 2020, could be a possible late-round choice for teams looking to find value late at running back; he’ll finish his career as a top-10 rusher in school history.
It’ll be fascinating to see what kind of feedback a trio of junior linebackers — Chris Oats, Josh Paschal and DeAndre Square — receive as they mull whether to depart early or remain for 2021. Of the three, I’d guess at least one of them moves on before completing his eligibility. My money’s on Paschal, who’s moving to defensive end — potentially racking up impressive stats as a result — and is on track to graduate in December.
Quarterbacks Sawyer Smith and Terry Wilson both are set to depart from the program, but neither leaps off the page as a potential NFL prospect. They’ll of course look to prove otherwise.
Many fans were worried about Australian punter Max Duffy moving on after last season, but the reigning Ray Guy Award winner will make his final go-round with the Wildcats. From 2010 to 2019, only 19 punters were drafted into the league, and Duffy has stated that his non-standard kicking style is not desirable to NFL teams and that he plans to work in psychology after he graduates. Still, we’ll put him down as a final name to monitor next April.
This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 7:28 AM.
