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NFL Draft Round-Up, Where Do the Wildcats Stand in the Mock Drafts?

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3 years ago

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Justin Casterline/Getty Images

Since Mark Stoops’ arrival, the Kentucky Wildcats have had a player selected in the NFL Draft in seven of his nine seasons, including three straight seasons with multiple draft selections.

On Thursday, Kentucky will look to push that streak to four, and they have the potential to match or exceed the program record for most draft selections in the modern-day NFL Draft (six in 2020).

Let’s break it down and see where the Wildcats stand.

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Darian Kinnard

The Athletic: 2nd Round
CBS Sports: 3rd Round
ESPN: 3rd Round
Pro Football Focus (Ranked By Best Prospect): 79th

Last season, Darian Kinnard became just the 12th unanimous All-American in program history. Kinnard’s biggest strength is his raw power, which NFL teams love as he can use it to become dominant. However, by relying more on his upper body than his lower body, it creates potential balance issues when translating to the NFL. Teams that are interested in Kinnard are interested in a switch to guard.

Luke Fortner

The Athletic: 3rd Round
CBS Sports: 3rd Round
ESPN: 3rd Round
Pro Football Focus (Ranked By Best Prospect): 105th

The six-year player at Kentucky moved from guard to center in his last season where he made himself an NFL Draft pick. In addition to his guard-center versatility, Fortner is a high-intangible player that brings consistency, however, can be overpowered at times. Fortner should have the opportunity to become a starting NFL center while also providing depth at guard.

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Josh Paschal

The Athletic: 3rd Round
CBS Sports: 2nd Round
ESPN: 3rd Round
Pro Football Focus (Ranked By Best Prospect): 44th

Josh Paschal’s story from cancer a cancer diagnosis, to arguably Kentucky’s best draft prospect is something from a storybook. While not flashy, Paschal has a technically sound technique that helped him finish third in tackles for loss (37.0) in Kentucky football history, which NFL teams will gladly welcome.

Wan’Dale Robinson

The Athletic: 3rd-4th Round
CBS Sports: 3rd Round
ESPN: 3rd Round
Pro Football Focus (Ranked By Best Prospect): 125th

One of the most versatile playmakers in Kentucky football history, Wan’Dale Robinson has the potential to be a starting NFL slot receiver and return man. Robison is one the quickest and most athletic prospects in the draft, but is hurt by being undersized and having more career drops (11) than receiving touchdowns (10).

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Yusuf Corker

The Athletic: 5th Round
CBS Sports: 6th Round
ESPN: 6th Round
Pro Football Focus (Ranked By Best Prospect): 185th

Corker plays fast, tough, and confident, which is perfect for the NFL. A three-year starter at UK, Corker finished in the top two on the team in tackles each season and top three on the team in passes defended. However, Corker must improve his tackling, with 31 missed tackles in his career at UK.

Dare Rosenthal

The Athletic: 5th Round
CBS Sports: 5th Round
ESPN: 6th Round
Pro Football Focus (Ranked By Best Prospect): 237th

Transferring from LSU, Rosenthal was a one-year starter at left tackle for Kentucky. Rosenthal has all the pieces and potential to be a blocker in the NFL. However, disciplinary issues (on and off the field) will be scrutinized by the NFL.

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Marquan McCall

The Athletic: 6th-7th Round
CBS Sports: 7th Round
ESPN: 7th Round
Pro Football Focus: 236th

After an inconsistent three years, McCall replaced Quinton Bohanna as the Wildcats’ nose tackle last season. Despite an injury and showing little production in his senior campaign, you can’t teach size. Standing 6-foot-3 340-pounds, McCall’s size and natural power can earn him an NFL roster spot.

Quandre Mosely

The Athletic: Priority Free Agent

During his time at Kentucky, Mosely primarily came off the bench but saw his role increase in his senior year with 36.7 snaps per game. With long arms, quick feet, and impressive twitch, Mosely has the tools to be a developmental cornerback in the NFL.

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Justin Rigg

Undrafted

With Riggs name yet to be named in a mock draft, it will look to be a tall order for the former UK tight end to be selected. While proficient as a blocker, Rigg was never able to consistently show the ability to be a pass-catcher. Look for Rigg to potentially find his way into an NFL camp.

The Kentucky football program looks to be in for an exciting night, as they should be amongst the schools with the most draft picks.

Check out the full mock drafts here. (The Athletic, CBS Sports, ESPN, Pro Football Focus)

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Louisville Football Player Charged With First-Degree Strangulation, Days After Committing Game Losing Personal Foul

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3 days ago

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November 18, 2024

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Louisville Cardinals defensive back Tayon Holloway (20) reacts to his defensive play.
Eric Canha | Imagn

On Monday, Louisville football defensive back Tayon Holloway was detained and charged with first-degree strangulation and fourth-degree assault.

This comes just days after the former four-star prospect committed a costly personal foul to put a 2-7 Stanford team in field goal range and upset Louosillve 38-35 with a walk-off field goal.

As expected, Holloway has been indefinitely suspended from the team.

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“The University of Louisville is aware of the arrest of football student-athlete Tayon Holloway,” the university said in a statement. “As we gather more information, Tayon has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities.”

Things Cardinals seem to be in a downward trend as the Commonwealth Cup nears, November 30th.

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Kentucky snaps four game losing streak defeats Murray State 48-6

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5 days ago

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November 16, 2024

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops talking to Murray State football coach Jody Wright.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

Kentucky gets a much-needed victory over Murray St 48-6 to snap its four-game losing Streak. Brock Vandagriff led the way for the Cats, going 12-19 for 183 passing yards and two touchdown passes to Hardley Gilmore IV and Ja’Mori Maclin. 48 Points is the most points Kentucky has scored in a game since 2021 when the Cats scored 51 points against Louisville.

The defense held Murray St. without a touchdown. For the second time this season, Kentucky’s defense has held an opponent without a touchdown.

Freshman Standout today:

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For the second time this season, Kentucky breaks the 40-point mark as three freshmen make impacts for Kentucky. Jamarion Wilcox had 13 carries and 124 yards with a touchdown in the 3rd quarter.

Receiver Hardley Gilmore IV had two receptions for 72 yards and caught the 52-yard touchdown pass from Brock Vandagriff on the game-opening drive.

Four-star quarterback Cutter Boley started the second half for the Cats, going 10-14 and passing for 130 yards with two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, both touchdown passes to sophomore receiver Anthony Brown-Stephens.

Defense Bounces Back:

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After giving up over 475 yards of total offense each of the last three games, Kentucky’s defense holds Murray State to 256 total yards of offense while also having three takeaways from the Murray State offense

Defensive Lineman Tre’vonn Rybka led the way for the defense with five tackles and the only sack of the game for Kentucky’s defense. Jordan Lovett had two takeaways in the first half for Kentucky and one in the red zone in the second quarter. Jackson Schultz had the final takeaway, picking off Jim Ogle’s pass late in the fourth quarter.

Box Score

With the win today over Murray St., Kentucky moves to 4-6 (1-6 SEC) with two games remaining. They look to keep their bowl eligibility alive as they travel to Austin, Texas, and face the No. 3 ranked Texas Longhorns at 3:30 pm on ABC. 

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Mark Stoops Responds to Retirement Rumors, “Zero Percent Chance I Do That”

Published

2 weeks ago

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November 11, 2024

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops responds to retirement rumors amidst disappointing season. "Zero percent chance I do that."
Jordan Prather | Imagn

To say there is unrest in the Kentucky Football fanbase would be an understatement. With a 3-6 record overall, and 1-6 in the SEC (15th out of 16) things look bleak, and there is still a quarter of the season to go. Considering the regression from the previous two seasons as well, it’s difficult to be optimistic about the future.

Over the last few weeks, rumors have circled that head coach Mark Stoops has considered retiring at the end of the season. Optics wise it makes sense, his older brother Bob Stoops surprisingly retired from Oklahoma at just 56, and Mark, now 57, has expressed a desire to spend more time with his children.

At his weekly press conference, Stoops was asked directly if there is any chance that he would walk away from Kentucky and retire at the season. To which he responded, bluntly:

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“Zero percent chance I do that. Next question.”

Mark Stoops is still owed more than $44 million on his contract. That’s A LOT of money to leave on the table and is the reason that the decision will be Stoops’ to make, as Kentucky cannot afford the buyout.

If Stoops holds true to his word and returns next season, NIL fundraising efforts may be the most difficult it has been for him. However, he hopes it sparks motivation to donate.

“I’ve seen it at other SEC schools,” Stoops said. “I want to stay away from that. I really get tired of — I don’t want to be like I am whining, I am crying. It is reality. You have to have dollars.”

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