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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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Kentucky Athletic Collectives Rank 11th of 16 Teams in SEC, Bring in over $11 Million

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2 weeks ago

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December 10, 2024

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Kentucky ranks 11th of 16 SEC teams in collective fundraising.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

For better or for worse of college sports, NIL is here to stay and it certainly gives an advantage to schools with more money. Just looking at the SEC alone, collectives raised more than $200 million in the 2023-24 fiscal year. Unfortunately, Kentucky is ranked in the lower half of that.

According to documents from the House v. NCAA proposed settlement, Kentucky raised $11,254,204 from athletics collectives for the 2023-24 fiscal year. That ranks 11th of the 15 public universities in the SEC and is just more than half of the top collective, Texas who raised over $22 million.

Full Rankings

Rank
School NameCollective Funding
1Texas22,272,474
2LSU20,137,141
3Georgia18,326,566
4Texas A&M17,228,714
5Alabama15,995,406
6Florida15,802,237
7Oklahoma14,817,595
8Tennessee11,602,164
9Auburn11,588,953
10Arkansas11,544,039
11Kentucky11,254,204
12S. Carolina9,554,700
13Ole Miss8,872,378
14Missouri7,146,859
15Mississippi St.6,467,166
NRVanderbiltNot Available (Private School)

While collective funding is low, Kentucky has been a top 20 athletic program in total revenue, partly thanks to being a school that profits from its basketball program. Looking ahead to 2025, Kentucky is expected to stay in the top 20 nationally in athletic revenue, fifth in the SEC by bringing in an estimated 131,139,792. Ahead of programs like Georgia, LSU, Florida, and Tennessee.

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With revenue sharing coming in the near future, even more money is going to be involved in roster and program building. Schools in the Big Ten and SEC have an even bigger advantage due to their new TV deals, giving them up to an extra $70 million or more.

A new era of college sports is here. It’s time to prepare and embrace it.

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Kentucky Wide Receiver Calls for “A Lot” More Leadership and Accountability from Staff

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3 weeks ago

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December 2, 2024

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Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops walks onto the field before the game against the Louisville Cardinals.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

A poor offensive line. Inconsistent quarterback play. A lot of things led to Kentucky football’s abysmal 2024 season. However, they had the talent to finish better than 4-8, only defeating one power opponent this season. So what could have helped?

Kentucky wide receiver Ja’Mori Maclin was asked that question after the Wildcats’ loss to Louisville on Saturday. To his credit, he answered honestly and professionally.

“A lot more leadership,” Maclin said. “Holding guys accountable for things. A lot more discipline for all the guys… All around, players and coaches. We’re still a team, I don’t want to point at any one person or specific group. All around we need better leadership.”

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Maclin is a junior and could return for another season. Despite talking about Kentucky taking the next step, he has not made his decision and will be returning home to talk to his family to do so. If Maclin does return, it sounds like Kentucky will have a leader in the receiving room.

Despite being a 1,000-yard receiver at North Texas, Maclin was not targeted often. However, on his 13 receptions, he caught four for touchdowns, the most of any receiver on the team.

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Kentucky Player Seen At Concession Stand During Kentucky’s 41-14 Loss to Louisville

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3 weeks ago

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December 2, 2024

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A Kentucky football player was seen at buying food from the concession stand in Kentucky's 41-14 loss to Louisville.

Kentucky’s on-field product against Louisville was poor to say the least, sending 99% of Wildcat fans home early. It even sent an injured player from the sideline to get a snack…

Yes, offensive lineman Gerald Mincey, one of Kentucky’s most expensive transfer portal additions, was seen at one of the concession stands at Kroger Field during Kentucky’s 41-14 defeat.

Watching a 4-8 team is bad, but even worse to do on an empty stomach.

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Mincey is a senior and will not be returning next season, but it is nice to see him reinvesting some money back into the program.

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