Kentucky Wildcats Football: Any Cats in the 2013 NFL draft?
By Kyle
It’s really way too early to be worrying about who might be taken in the 2013 NFL draft, but it’ s may and those are the kinds of things we think about here at WBN around this time of year. So without further ado, here are the guys that have, or can play their way into the league.
Senior offensive guard Larry Warford is almost a lock to be drafted. He is widely considered one of the top players at his position in the country, and linemen are always gobbled up as the draft progresses. The real question may be how high he goes. Guards are not typically first round selections, but Warford could push his stock up to the second round with a good senior year
Senior center Matt Smith might be the next most likely player to be picked up after Warford. Like guards, centers are rarely snagged in the early rounds and most have to wait until round 3 or later to hear their name called. The pool of talented centers will be deep in 2013, but Smith will have been a three year starter in the SEC by that point and at 6’4 and 300+ pounds, he already has an NFL body as well.
After the two linemen, it starts to get a little harder to find guys with an NFL future. The next most likely player would have to be Martavius Neloms. He’s got good size for an NFL safety and is not afraid to come up and hit someone. Like Warford and Smith, he also will be a three year starter by the end of the season. He will need to step up an make some big plays, but Neloms has a future in the NFL. He is probably a mid-late round selection at this point.
Senior receiver La’Rod King has NFL height at 6’4, but he only weighs in at 194 pounds, and that is awfully light for a player his size at the next level. If King can step up and be the type of go-to receiver that this team desperately needs, he can work his way up draft boards. He is probably a late round selection at this point.
Injuries have taken their toll on him but Collins Ukwu has some potential. He’s been a consistent player at defensive end since his redshirt freshman season. He’ll need to continue to get bigger, but Ukwu is a versatile end that can help a team in multiple ways. At this point, he could sneak into the late rounds.
Senior defensive end Taylor Wyndham might have a shot at being drafted as well, but it’s probably a long one. He’s made some memorable plays in his career at UK, but he’ll need to see more time on the field before he’ll get an NFL look.
Senior Aaron Boyd is… Just kidding.
Senior safety Mikie Benton might have a shot. He’s a little undersized, but he is a tough player that has defied the odds throughout his career. He probably won’t be drafted, but lots of teams value players like him as free agents.
Kentucky very rarely has underclassmen enter the draft early, but there might be one or two this year. Unfortunately for the Cats, the guys who are the most likely to leave both play the same position. Mister Cobble and Donte Rumph could use this season to catapult up draft boards. Both guys have NFL size and strength and both play defensive tackle, which might be the most overvalued position in the NFL. If either or both of these two decide to come out early, it would be a major blow to UK’s defense, but who could blame them. Rumph is actually the same age as Randall Cobb and he’s only heading into his junior season.