Wildcat Blue Nation
Fansided

NFL Draft brings a new era for Kentucky Wildcats football

By Paul Jordan

facebooktwitterreddit

More from Kentucky football

Last night in the 2015 NFL Draft, Bud Dupree was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers  with the 22nd  pick overall.  Granted, for some schools this may not be a big deal, but Dupree was the first Kentucky Wildcat to be selected in the first round since DeWayne Robertson went at number four in 2003.  Before that, it was Tim Couch with the first pick overall in 1999.  Bud Dupree became the 14th former Kentucky Wildcat to go in the first round of the draft.  And while  the Kentucky Wildcats history of first round picks have been spotty, the drafting of Bud Dupree is the start of a new era for Kentucky football.

While Bud Dupree is the first UK player Mark Stoops has sent to the first round of the NFL Draft as head coach, he does have a hand in developing nine other players for the Florida State Seminoles.  And I’m not saying this is the biggest night in the history of Kentucky Wildcats football, it is pretty important for the direction this program is going.  Up.

And it could get bigger if Za’Darius Smith is drafted in the third round tonight.  Smith is considered to be a third or fourth round pick by most mock drafts and his stock is on the rise.  Regardless of if Smith goes in the third or fourth round, this 2015 NFL Draft is the most successful one that the Kentucky Wildcats have had in the past decade if not longer.  Kentucky had four players go in 2008, but none went before the fourth round.  That year, Jacob Tamme and Keenan Burton went in the fourth round, Andre Woodson went in the sixth round and Stevie Johnson in the seventh.  No other draft has come close to two players in the first three rounds and Mark Stoops made sure he was front and center for it.

Even though the Kentucky Wildcats have not been putting a lot of guys into the NFL Draft recently, the guys that go are sticking and thriving.  Randall Cobb was drafted in the second round in 2011 and is one of the top wide receivers in football.  Corey Peters (2010) and Larry Warford (2013) were third rounders that respectively are among the top defensive and offensive linemen in the league.  Avery Williamson (fifth round in 2014) and Danny Trevathan (6th in 2012) were overachieving later picks that now both start and excel for Tennessee.  Undrafted players like Tim Masthay and Chris Matthews have made their marks as well.

The word is out that the Kentucky Wildcats produce NFL players. And the new era for Kentucky Wildcats football extends to the facilities as well.

This Fall, the new and improved Commonwealth Stadium will debut and Kentucky will finally have one of the nicer stadiums across the SEC.  It’s been a long time coming, but the UK Administration is all in with Kentucky Football and the change is on the way.  Mark Stoops has put together the three best consequtive recruiting classes in UK history and the Wildcats have a very favorable schedule with eight home games.

Once this team finally crosses the hurdle and makes it to a bowl game again, you get the feeling they will not miss out for quite a while.

Mark Stoops has changed the football culture in Lexington and we just saw the beginning of that change with the first player drafted in the first round in 12 seasons.  The new era is just beginning for Kentucky football.  It’s time to get excited.

More from Wildcat Blue Nation

Home/Kentucky football