UK unites a liberated spirit, a ‘boring’ engineer and a quiet giant at the NFL Combine
A trio of Kentucky offensive linemen took the podium at the NFL Combine on Thursday.
One, Darian Kinnard, spoke about being able to exhibit more of his personality and feeling less like a “trained animal.” On the flip side, Luke Fortner says he’ll continue to be “boring” following what turned out to be a career-changing sixth season of college football. Dare Rosenthal was as enigmatic as usual.
All three are likely to get selected in April’s draft — and Fortner and Kinnard could both end up going within the first four rounds, depending on how things shake out based on individual performances and team needs — out of a program that, before Mark Stoops arrived, went 20 years without having an offensive lineman selected. Three — George Asafo-Adjei, Logan Stenberg and Landon Young — have been taken over the last three iterations.
“He’s the reason we’re all here,” Fortner said of Stoops. “He’s put us in the position to be successful, gotten us some great coaches, some great facilities. Now we’re here.”
The late John Schlarman coached Fortner and Kinnard for the bulk of their careers, instilling in them a “never quit” mentality that’s baked into the position group he helped put on the map. Kentucky’s “Big Blue Wall” last year finished as a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, and has been in contention several times in recent years for the highest recognition given to offensive linemen.
Stoops this week joked that he could’ve coached last year’s offensive line based on its sheer talent, but that honor was Eric Wolford’s, who left for Alabama this offseason on less-than-ideal terms. Fortner applauded Wolford’s intensity, and both he and Kinnard acknowledged the business climate around college football. Both were more openly gracious in regard to Liam Coen, UK’s outgoing offensive coordinator who also left after one season.
NFL teams are far less concerned about staff shake-ups than they are about what those guys learned last season, particularly from Coen. Fortner, who transitioned to center from guard, had to master the pro-style concepts at a high level, while Kinnard had to learn more as a pass blocker after being asked to do very little of that in his first few seasons. Each would have been drafted had they declared in 2021, but they bettered their stock by coming back.
Kinnard did so despite not playing left tackle, which he hoped to do before Rosenthal — a starter at that position at LSU before transferring to UK — entered the picture last summer. Kinnard stayed on the right side, where he’d already been an All-American, and continued to dominate. He posted the highest Pro Football Focus season-long grades of any tackle in the Southeastern Conference each of the last two years.
This week will be about opening people’s eyes.
“In college, I did it for three years, so people kind of got used to it,” Kinnard said. “I didn’t have one year where I just kind of excelled and everybody took notice, I kind of just did my job. Now it’s, I guess, putting a cherry on top and letting people know I’m still here.”
He’s raised some eyebrows since leaving UK because of statements he’s made unrelated to football. At the Reese’s Senior Bowl last month, he wore a hoodie that insinuated President Joe Biden was a traitor. On Thursday, he was asked about his pandemic experience and why he’s been more willing to offer political commentary post-college.
“As a person, I mean, I just felt cooped up,” Kinnard said. “Simple as that, like a lot of Americans in this country. … But that’s just my viewpoint. It’s not really a political statement. The hoodie that I wore at the Reese’s Bowl, I wasn’t really thinking about it. But that’s how I feel, you know?”
Fortner one week after hearing his name called in the NFL Draft will graduate with an MBA, his second master’s degree from Kentucky. This first was in aerospace engineering. Teams, predictably, appreciate his commitment to learning, which he demonstrated with aplomb on the football field last fall after playing guard his previous five years with the Wildcats. Teams considering him will do so knowing he can play three positions, but most are looking at him as a center first and foremost based on how well his film looks from last year.
“I wanted to come back because I felt like I could better myself and become a better football player, and I certainly did that,” Fortner said. “And I also helped Kentucky win 10 games. So for me, that’s two birds with one stone.”
Rosenthal, the only early entrant from Kentucky other than Wan’Dale Robinson, was on the fence about the draft but determined it was the best option after consulting with his family. At one time thought of as a first-round talent, he’s likely to be drafted as a “project” in the later rounds. It’s easy to see why his 6-foot-7, 326-pound frame and raw ability would excite pro teams, but he’ll quickly have to prove that he was worth taking the flier on, or risk not being on a 53-man roster come September.
He’s eager for the challenge — and to become a leader.
“I have a great personality,” Rosenthal said.
2022 NFL Draft
When: April 28-30
Where: Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nev.
Top five picks: Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, New York Jets, New York Giants
Cincinnati Bengals’ first pick: No. 31 in first round
This story was originally published March 3, 2022 at 12:17 PM.
