The Kentucky Wildcats have wrapped up a banner year with a great showing in the 2019 NFL Draft.
While the college football season is the best part of the journey, it’s not complete until players learn their NFL fate in April. For a group of Wildcats who helped this program reach the 10-win mark for the first time in four decades, many of them got to have their NFL dreams realized over the weekend.
Five Wildcats heard their names called during the draft including Josh Allen (Round 1 to the Jaguars), Lonnie Johnson (Round 2 to the Texans), Mike Edwards (Round 3 to the Buccaneers), Benny Snell Jr. (Round 4 to the Steelers) and George Asafo-Adjei (Round 7 to the Giants.
Here are some other drafts notes via UK Athletics:
- For the first time in school history, Kentucky had a player drafted in each of the first four rounds. The only other schools to accomplish that feat in this year’s draft are Alabama, Ohio State and Oklahoma.
- UK’s five draft picks are the most since eight players (James Ramsey, Jim Kovach, Kelly Kirchbaum, Rod Stewart, Bob Winkel, Robert Hawkins, Dan Fowler and David Stephens) were chosen in 1979.
- Josh Allen was the 17th player in UK history selected in the first round on Thursday.
- Allen is UK’s highest draft pick since Dewayne Robertson was selected as the fourth pick by the Jets in 2003.
- Allen is the 11th player in UK history chosen in the top 10 and the first since Dewayne Robertson was selected as the fourth pick by the Jets in 2003.
- Allen is the sixth player drafted under head coach Mark Stoops at Kentucky and the second first-round pick, joining Bud Dupree (Pittsburgh Steelers) in 2015.
- Since 2001, Coach Stoops has now recruited and developed 12 first-round draft picks.
- Kentucky has had a linebacker drafted in five of the last eight NFL drafts (2019 - Josh Allen, 2016 - Josh Forrest, 2015 - Bud Dupree, 2015 - Za’Darius Smith, 2014 - Avery Williamson).
But the fun didn’t stop once the draft ended. We’ve already seen several Wildcats sign undrafted free agent deals, including Chris Westry (Cowboys), C.J. Conrad (Giants) and Derrick Baity (Texans).
Use this stream to keep track of everything related to the newest class of NFL Wildcats!