While Mark Stoops didn’t produce any first-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Kentucky football program continued to pump a steady stream of talent into the professional ranks. Dru Phillips and Trevin Wallace were third-round selections, Ray Davis went in the fourth, and Devin Leary came off the board in the sixth. However, those aren’t the only Kentucky Wildcats who will be fighting for NFL roster spots this summer.
Offensive tackle Jeremy Flax, wide receiver Tayvion Robinson, and tight end Brendan Bates all signed with NFL teams as undrafted free agents after slipping beyond the seventh round. Flax is heading to the Minnesota Vikings, Robinson the Baltimore Ravens, and Bates the Chicago Bears.
Kentucky football doesn’t have a long history of successful UDFAs, so if Flax, Robinson, or Bates make a big impact throughout their careers then they’ll quickly climb up this list.
At Kentucky, Williams was twice named a second-team All-SEC performer on the offensive line and helped produce some of the Wildcats' most productive offensives in program history. However, as a senior Williams suffered a knee injury that caused him to miss two games and he ultimately fell out of the NFL draft in 2009.
Williams, after sliding down draft boards, landed in Carolina and spent all five years of his NFL career with the Panthers. As a rookie, he played in seven games but didn’t register a start on the offensive line.
In his second season, Williams became a primary starter, playing in 16 games with 11 starts, mostly at right tackle. Ahead of the 2012 season, Williams was likely to be a starter on Carolina’s offensive line but suffered a broken ankle in the final preseason game which derailed his career.
Williams started 10 more games from 2012-14 before his career ended.