The University of Kentucky’s six NFL draft selections over the course of this year’s event helped deliver school and Southeastern Conference history.
Alabama had 10 selections over the weekend — matching Ohio State for the most this year — to lead 65 draftees from the SEC, topping its own previous record for most by one conference. The SEC in 2019 had 64 players selected; it fell one short of matching that with 63 in 2020.
Kentucky’s six draftees tied with Penn State and Pittsburgh for the fifth most from any program in this year’s draft. Georgia and Notre Dame each had nine, Florida and Michigan put in eight and LSU — which last year matched Ohio State (2004) for the most selections from a single school in a draft (14) — had seven players selected.
Jamin Davis, selected 19th overall by the Washington Football Team in the first round Thursday night, kicked off a banner weekend for the Wildcats, who had their most selections in an NFL draft since the seven-round era began in 1994, and tied for the fourth most in any draft in school history. More Kentucky players were drafted this year than any since 1979 (eight in what was then a 12-round event).
UK recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow during an appearance on Sunday AM Sports Talk used the spotlight to sell future NFL hopefuls on the Wildcats, whose 2022 recruiting class currently is on track to be the highest-ranked one of his and head coach Mark Stoops’ nine-year tenure.
“I really do believe Kentucky’s going to be one of the top-10 places to be because we’re in the best conference in the country,” Marrow said. “If you’re an in-state kid or a kid that’s in a 6-hour radius, you’d be crazy (not to come here), that’s all I’m gonna say. All you gotta do is look at the product and look at what’s happening. Don’t look at that fake stuff and people telling you pipe dreams, and then you get to that place and it’s, ‘Man, they just sold me a bad car.’ … Our product now speaks for itself.”
Kelvin Joseph was selected 44th overall by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round, giving the Wildcats selections in each of those rounds for the second time in three years. Before Josh Allen (No. 7, first round) and Lonnie Johnson (No. 54, second round) were drafted in 2019, UK hadn’t had multiple selections through the first two rounds of an NFL draft since 1977 (Warren Bryant and Randy Burke, both in the first round).
Three Wildcats — nose guard Quinton Bohanna, cornerback Brandin Echols and offensive tackle Landon Young — were picked in the sixth round on Saturday.
Bohanna was selected No. 192 overall by the Dallas Cowboys, the first Cat off the board on Saturday. Pro Football Focus named Bohanna, a nose guard, to its 2020 All-Southeastern Conference Second Team after just eight games played due to a midseason injury.
Echols was selected eight picks later, 200th overall, by the New York Jets. A two-year starter for the Wildcats, Echols was perceived by most as a day-three draftee but posted a 40-yard dash time (4.34 seconds) that matched that of LSU receiver Ja’Marr Chase, drafted fifth overall by the Cincinnati Bengals, and that was tied for the fourth-best time among any NFL Combine invitee. Echols was one of three Kentucky players in the draft that posted an “athleticism score” of 99 in the rankings shared by NFL’s Next Gen Stats, which tracks real-time location, speed and acceleration of NFL players.
The New Orleans Saints picked Young 206th. Young, a former standout for Lafayette High School, was among the pioneers on UK’s offensive line who transformed it into a staple of the program under the direction of the late John Schlarman. The “Big Blue Wall” helped Kentucky set multiple school rushing records in 2019 following an historic 10-3 season in 2018, and in 2020 was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award for the third time in the last five seasons.
Young’s selection also gave Lexington an NFL draft pick in back-to-back years for the first time since 1987-1988, and its 10th draft pick overall. Jedrick Wills, who was a class behind but played with Young at Lafayette High School, was selected 10th overall by the Cleveland Browns in last year’s draft. Lexington in the 1980s produced eight players who spent time in the NFL; Young will be just the ninth since 1988 to hail from Kentucky’s second-largest city.
Defensive tackle Phil Hoskins rounded out UK’s draftees after going No. 232 overall to the Carolina Panthers early in the seventh round. He’s the first player in Kentucky history to be selected by Carolina, which coming in was the only NFL team that had never drafted a Wildcat.
Free agents
Several more Kentucky players signed free-agent contracts following the draft’s conclusion on Saturday.
The University of Kentucky athletics department has confirmed that center Drake Jackson, running back A.J. Rose and linebacker Jamar “Boogie” Watson have all signed contracts, with the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively.
Those signings left punter Max Duffy as the lone remaining Wildcat who entered this year’s draft without a landing spot as of Sunday afternoon.
Jackson — perhaps the biggest surprise among UK’s undrafted quartet — joins former Wildcat Logan Stenberg, who was drafted by the Lions in the fourth round of the 2020 draft. Jackson’s a former four-star recruit out of Woodford County High School who made 44 consecutive starts after taking over as UK’s center midway through the 2017 season. Jackson was an All-Southeastern Conference First Team selection by the Associated Press and Athlon Sports in 2019, and earned that distinction from Pro Football Focus in 2020. He was a second-team honoree by the AP, coaches and Phil Steele last season.
Marrow during his radio appearance said he was “kinda pissed” that Jackson didn’t get drafted but that Detroit is a good landing spot.
“Drake for four years blocked some of the best D-linemen in the country and, excuse my language, whooped their ass,” Marrow said. “I was a little pissed but I knew Detroit, Chris Spielman and those guys, really wanted him, but they didn’t have no sixth- or seventh-round pick.”
Rose was the UK’s second-leading rusher in 2020 with 666 yards and two touchdowns. He’s the 37th player in school history to reach 1,000 career rushing yards, and his final total of 1,971 is 10th all-time in school history. His career yards per carry — 5.8 — rank behind only Lynn Bowden Jr. and Stanley “Boom” Williams in school history.
Watson finished his senior season with 40 tackles, five sacks and had an interception (that he returned for a touchdown after ripping it out of a Mississippi State receiver’s hands). Phil Steele recognized him as an All-SEC Second Team member. He’ll join fellow Wildcats Benny Snell, Calvin Taylor and T.J. Carter in Pittsburgh.
Terms of Rose and Watson’s deals weren’t reported, but the value of Jackson’s contract is $2.43 million according to Spotrac. That site did not report a signing bonus, which would be the only money guaranteed to him unless he makes the team. The smallest guarantee amounts reported for undrafted players were $2,000; the highest was $392,600 (Tulane tight end Sammie Reyes).