Tonight, the NFL Draft will begin and throughout the weekend, 224 players will have their dreams come true as they hear their name called. According to ESPN's Matt Miller, the Kentucky Wildcats will have SEVEN players drafted, which would break the modern school record.
According to Miller, the Cats will be drafted in this order:
74th OVERALL - Josh Paschal is projected to be the first Cat off the board to join the Atlanta Falcons. Pascal has definitely gained respect among NFL scouts to earn his spot during the offseason. Paschal is a natural born leader and a winner that could end up as a starter for years to come.
88th OVERALL - Darian Kinnard will be drafted to the Dallas Cowboys. Kinnard was rated as one of the highest rated offensive linemen in the country last season. Kinnard played left tackle, and is considered a 'betweener' in the NFL, and will likely play as a guard.
99th OVERALL - Wan'Dale Robinson will be selected to the Cleveland Browns. Robinson was arguably the star player throughout his lone season at Kentucky, as he recorded 104 receptions, 1,334 yards and 7 touchdowns. Robinson has the opportunity to be a great NFL player, but as an undersized slot player, will fall later as there will not be many special teams roles in the NFL.
102nd OVERALL - Luke Fortner is projected to go to the Miami Dolphins. Fortner started in all 13 games in 2021 as a center. Fortner could end up being an NFL starter in time, assuming he gets bigger. Fortner's disadvantage is his timing of work-up blocks according to scouts, but will have time to improve.
206th OVERALL - Dare Rosenthal will be heading to the Denver Broncos, according to Miller. Rosenthal started every regular season game in 2021 for the Cats, and has length that cannot be taught. Rosenthal has plenty of upside, and lots to improve on including his lateral footwork.
221st OVERALL - Yusuf Corker will be headed to San Francisco to play for the 49ers. Corker was big-time for UK for his entire tenure. Corker played in all 13 games as a redshirt freshman in 2017, and played in every game since. Corker has great football intelligence, but has struggled with open field tackling according to NFL analyst Lance Zierlein.
255th OVERALL - Marquan "Bully Ball" McCall would be the record-breaking 7th Wildcat drafted, as he is projected to go to the Los Angeles Chargers. Coming off the 2021 ankle injury, McCall still shows a quick awareness off of the snap, and is great at firing into the A-gaps and getting into the backfield. McCall will have to improve as a pass rusher at the next level, but has great upside.
For Matt Miller's full mock draft, you can click here. This years edition of the NFL Draft will take place in Las Vegas, and can be watched on ESPN at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
Make sure to follow my Twitter (@JordanMathusCC) if you don't already as I will be updating followers with news regarding Kentucky players.