From prospects to pros: 2022 NFL Draft résumé for Kentucky tight end Justin Rigg
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This year’s NFL Draft is April 28-30. A number of former University of Kentucky stars are eligible, and many are expected to be selected this year. We’re taking a look at every UK player who hopes to have their name called.
Justin Rigg
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 257 pounds
Hometown: Springboro, Ohio (Springboro)
Projected NFL position: Tight end
What you’ll remember about him at UK: Rigg’s availability was his best trait as a Wildcat. He played in a school-record 63 games and made 35 starts. Never flashy, Rigg was emblematic of the determination and physicality that have become synonymous with Kentucky football under Mark Stoops.
Key stats: 20 receptions (third most on the team) and four touchdown catches in 2021. Averaged 10.9 yards per catch in his career.
Career development: Rigg, a three-star recruit, appeared in two games as a true freshman before suffering a rib injury that resulted in the laceration of one of his kidneys, sidelining him for the remainder of the year. He played in every game the next season before suffering another organ laceration — this time his spleen — in the following spring game. He didn’t miss any time for that, though, and only missed two games in the remainder of his career (both due to COVID-19 protocols in 2020). He was UK’s primary starter at tight end over the last three seasons.
Latest draft projections: Undrafted.
His future: Rigg can get into an NFL camp, but getting selected in the draft might be a tall order. He has the measurables to be a sound tight end at the next level, but he probably didn’t demonstrate enough as a pass-catcher in the college ranks to separate himself enough from similar tight ends who will be available at the end of the draft. He was unable to run the 40-yard dash at UK’s Pro Day but did participate in a workout session with the Cincinnati Bengals a week before the draft, and is 100 percent healthy. Rigg showed proficiency as a blocker in multiple offensive systems, and was by no means a slouch as a receiver when called upon. He checks in at the right size and seems athletic enough for that size; his NFL hopes largely hinge on a team willing to take a chance on him — at least 10 of them have reached out to his camp ahead of the event — and him delivering big time if given that opportunity.
Quote: “I feel like I can do everything, but my main thing I think I’m best at is blocking. At the next level, I’ll be able to show that I am better than those other guys at that. I think I’ll excel at that.” — Justin Rigg to the Herald-Leader
This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 8:05 AM.
