by Paul Jordan
Draft Day used to be a lonely day for Wildcat fans as UK recently had a three year hiatus with no draft picks. The last two years have been different with five Wildcats hearing their name called. Now this year can mark the emergence of UK as a true NFL feeding school as UK had five players participate in the NFL combine, which was more than Georgia and South Carolina. Let’s take a quick look at where Kentucky’s seniors are projected to go:
COREY PETERS – Peters may be the first name called in the NFL draft as his stock has really blossomed lately. This year projects to be a pretty strong draft for defensive tackles however so that may drop Peters down a round or so. Most analysts are projecting Peterson to be around a 4th round pick, but he may move up into the third round.
JOHN CONNOR – NFL scouts have fallen in love with Connor and many feel that “The Terminator” may be Kentucky’s best pro prospect. However, the fullback position is not a glamorous position and fullbacks are rarely taken early in the draft. General consensus is that Connor may go in possibly the fifth to seventh rounds.
MICAH JOHNSON – Johnson is one of a few Wildcats that have seen his stock drop recently. Johnson did not have a stand out senior year due to injuries, and at the NFL combine ran an unimpressive 5.0. While Micah is a bit small for a NFL inside linebacker, it is a weak draft for that position and Micah will hear his name called. Expect Micah to go in the 5th to 7th round.
TREVARD LINDLEY – Like Micah, Trevard had an injury plagued senior season and he did not have a good Senior Bowl, which was called “ugly” by Wes Bunting, the director of scouting for National Football Post. Regardless, cornerbacks are at a premium in the NFL and Lindley will hear his name called, but likely in the 4th to 7th rounds.
ALFONSO SMITH – Smith is an intriguing prospect in that he is 6’1 and has sub 4.4 speed and he does not have a lot of wear and tear on his body. His explosiveness has opened some eyes in the NFL and there is some consensus that he could be worth a 6th or 7th round flyer.
SAM MAXWELL – Like Micah Johnson, Sam had a bad time at Pro Day and his stock has gone down. He is still a possible 6th or 7th round pick, but a lot of people are putting Sam in the free agent pool.
In addition, Kentucky has several players (T.C Drake, Jorge Gonzalez, Zipp Duncan, Christian Johnson, and Justin Jeffries) that have a chance to be drafted in the late rounds, but more than likely will be picked up as free agents after the draft.
I know the actual draft is still a couple of weeks away and a lot can change between now and then. You can count on our football guy Kyle having more on the draft as it nears.
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