Kansas City Chiefs pick UK All-American Darian Kinnard in fifth round of NFL Draft
Darian Kinnard is finally off the board.
The Kansas City Chiefs selected Kinnard in the fifth round with the 145th overall pick of the NFL Draft on Friday.
Kinnard, who played right tackle at Kentucky, was projected by most as a guard prospect at the next level. At one time considered a first-round talent, Kinnard was viewed as a second-round selection by pundits early in the pre-draft process but dropped down draft boards as the event neared.
“He’s not a bad athlete but faces limitations with lateral and recovery movements,” wrote NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein. “A transition inside should allow for more advantageous positioning as both a drive blocker and in pass protection. Kinnard is an all-day mauler relying heavily upon a nasty demeanor and physical advantages to overwhelm opponents.”
A former top-100 recruit in the 2018 signing class, Kinnard played right away at Kentucky and was a regular starter by his sophomore season in 2019. One of the key bricks in UK’s “Big Blue Wall,” Kinnard finished the 2021 season as one of only three Power Five offensive linemen to finish with a grade of 85 or higher in both run and pass blocking, per Pro Football Focus. He was a consensus All-America First Team selection as a senior, just the 12th player in school history to achieve that distinction and the first offensive lineman to do so since Sam Ball in 1965.
Kinnard bookended his career with two Citrus Bowl wins, each the 10th victory in those respective UK seasons (2018 and 2021). Kentucky, due to multiple quarterback injuries, was forced into a run-dominated offense midway through the 2019 season and set multiple school rushing records along the way. Kinnard is the fourth starter from that offensive line to be drafted into the NFL, following Logan Stenberg, Landon Young and Luke Fortner, who was drafted Friday night.
Despite his lack of buzz, most still tabbed Kinnard as a third-round pick, and many had him as the first Kentucky player who would get selected; three other Wildcats were drafted over the second and third rounds. Kinnard’s average performance at the NFL combine and heightened political outspokenness — at the combine, he described the COVID-19 pandemic as a “scare tactic” — have been cited as reasons behind his fall.
Kinnard told Fox-56 that he was “pissed off” after not getting selected through the first four rounds.
“Eventually, I knew my name would be called, and it did,” Kinnard said. “I can’t wait to play other teams. Just put it that way.”
This story was originally published April 30, 2022 at 2:05 PM.
