A brief history of Kentucky Wildcats in the NFL Draft
READ MORE
Prospects to Pros
Expand All
While there are probably no first-round prospects coming out of the University of Kentucky this year, most expect that the NFL Draft will once again be kind to the Wildcats’ program.
Four players — defensive end Josh Paschal, center Luke Fortner, offensive tackle Darian Kinnard and receiver Wan’Dale Robinson — are expected to be drafted between the second and fourth rounds. Three other UK stars — safety Yusuf Corker, defensive tackle Marquan McCall and offensive tackle Dare Rosenthal — are likely be selected as well. If all seven are picked, the 2022 draft would exceed last year’s edition for the most Wildcats selected in the modern era.
(That is, since 1994, when the draft became a seven-round affair; the most Wildcats ever picked in a single NFL Draft was nine, in 1951. That draft was conducted over 30 rounds with a total of 362 picks. There are 262 selections to be made in this year’s draft.)
Four other former UK players — defensive back Quandre Mosely, tight end Justin Rigg, receiver Josh Ali and quarterback Terry Wilson — are also draft-eligible this year.
After going without any selections in 2017 and 2018, Kentucky’s football program has had 13 players drafted in the last three iterations. Last year, Jamin Davis, Kelvin Joseph, Quinton Bohanna, Brandin Echols, Landon Young and Phil Hoskins joined a list of more than 200 UK players drafted into the pro ranks going back to 1937. If at least six UK players are drafted this year, players coached by Mark Stoops will represent more than 10 percent of the former Wildcats ever selected.
Who are the other Wildcats that have preceded this year’s class of candidates? Below you’ll find a chart of every UK player drafted into either the NFL or the American Football League, a defunct organization whose history is officially counted as part of the NFL’s since the two leagues merged in the 1960s. Players who were drafted into the AFL are marked with an asterisk.
After selecting Hoskins last year, the Carolina Panthers became the final of 32 NFL franchises to have drafted at least one UK player in their history. Tim Couch is the only player drafted first overall in Kentucky history; he went to the Cleveland Browns in 1999. Bert Johnson, a fullback, was the first UK player drafted; he was the 42nd overall pick in the fifth round by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1937.
Note: Information cited from Pro Football Reference. Some players are listed twice, as they were selected by both an AFL and NFL franchise in a given year.
This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 11:32 AM.
