UK Football: A look at the Wildcats’ 2019 NFL Draft prospects

After Kentucky’s defeat at the hands of the Northwestern Wildcats in last year’s Music City Bowl, there were some questions as to who would be back on this year’s squad. Several players on both sides of the ball were eligible for the draft and had the potential to hear their name called on draft night.

However, almost all of those guys came back for the Kentucky Wildcats. C.J. Conrad, who suffered an injury at the end of the season has the chance to finish out his career and potentially improve his draft stock. Josh Allen, Jordan Jones, and Mike Edwards, all big time leaders on the defense are ready to prove themselves to NFL teams.

And, of course, there’s Benny Snell, Jr. looking to capitalize on a stunning sophomore campaign and continue to cement his legacy as a Kentucky Wildcat.

Tony Pauline at draftanalyst.com took the time to break down all of Kentucky’s NFL-eligible players and assess their draft stock at the beginning of the season. Pauline gives nine Wildcats a chance at hearing their name called in April.

It should be of little surprise that Josh Allen and Snell headline the group. Pauline had this to say about both players:

“[Allen] is forceful up the field, holds his ground against blocks and makes plays in every direction of the field. Allen is not bad dropping off the line and playing in space, but there’s room for improvement...it’s safe to assume Allen ends up as a top-40 selection next April.”

“Snell has terrific size at 220 pounds, grinds it out on the inside and consistently breaks tackles to pick up yardage off contact. He possesses excellent short-area quickness with the ability to make defenders miss as well as the speed necessary to break long runs. He needs to improve his pass-catching skills, but Snell shows all the traits of a featured runner at the next level.

Pauline also gives praise to Mike Edwards and Jordan Jones. Both have a strong chance to succeed at the next level, especially if they continue to show consistency and improvement in their senior season.

Here are all of Pauline’s predictions:

Tony Pauline - draftanalyst.com

This was before Landon Young suffered a season-ending knee injury, or else he would have been a legitimate NFL prospect in the 2019. Hopefully, he makes a full recovery and still gets to pursue his NFL dreams someday.

All the rest of these guys have something to prove. This season has the potential to be one of the best in recent memory, and if all of these guys have monster seasons, then it will live up to that potential.

You can read all of Pauline’s comments and analysis here.

Where do you think these Wildcats will ultimately be drafted in April?