Kentucky DB Carrington Valentine declares for the NFL Draft

Carrington Valentine showed a ton of improvement over his time at Kentucky. The junior defensive back out of Cincinnati, Ohio has grown a ton in Lexington, specifically over his last two years as a starter and the Wildcat’s CB1. Now, although he could have returned for one more season, Valentine has announced he’ll call it a career in college football.

In a post he tweeted out today, Valentine said he believes he has ‘accomplished all there is to accomplish at the collegiate level’ and will enter the 2023 NFL Draft. He will forego his final game in the Music City Bowl as well as his senior year to make it as a pro.

Thank you #BBN pic.twitter.com/t4d13I59LS

— Carrington Valentine (@run_carri7) December 15, 2022

Valentine totaled 107 tackles over his two starting seasons in 2021 and 2022. He also put up 14 pass deflections, two sacks, and an interception. He also forced a fumble as a freshman back in 2020.

As their leader in the secondary, Valentine was a major part of the Kentucky defense that finished 26th a year ago and 12th this season.

Over the last few days, rumors had suggested Valentine was considering a transfer with the destination going as far as UK rival Louisville. However, Valentine shot those down but, in the end, that didn’t actually mean he’d be back in the bluegrass next season. Now, after this announcement, the Wildcat secondary will need some work to find a way to replace his production.

Todd McShay reveals why Kentucky QB Will Levis is ‘polarizing’ among NFL GMs

Kentucky quarterback Will Levis is a hotly debated NFL Draft prospect. Some NFL folks peg him as the best prospect in the class. Others look at a disappointing 2022 season on the field and wonder why any franchise would hitch their wagon to a guy who only threw for 250 yards one time against power conference competition in his college career.

Todd McShay has heard it both ways from NFL front office folks. Some see Josh Allen, others see Carson Wentz. Opinions definitely vary on Levis. Tuesday morning, McShay got a chance to join ESPN’s Get Up to talk about all of the top 2023 quarterbacks, including Levis, who he claimed is a very polarizing player among general managers.

“He’s polarizing,” said McShay. “I talked to one GM who said he sees so much of Josh Allen in him. Five days later, I talked to another GM, and he said ‘I’m just worried he’s going to be the next Carson Wentz.’”

According to McShay, a main reason for worry and the reason for the Wentz comparison is his lack of awareness in the pocket: “The knock is he doesn’t have great pocket presence. So it’s great that he has mobility, but is he seeing the whole field or are his eyes dropping? You see a lot of that on tape.”

Before wrapping up his comments, Todd McShay circled back to endorse Levis as a prospect for that physicality and also his demeanor in the weight room.

“He has the strongest arm of any quarterback in this class. And physically, I think he’s probably the most complete quarterback. And his intangibles. He’s a legend in the weight room. There’s not a single person on the team, in the entire campus at Kentucky, who talks about him and doesn’t have glowing reviews.”