Great Moments In Kentucky's NFL Draft History

Before the 2023 NFL Draft begins tonight in primetime, let’s look back at some of the highlights of Kentucky Football‘s history in the modern draft era, beginning with the 1970 merger. In total, the University of Kentucky has had 206 players drafted since the original draft in 1936, and here lately, Mark Stoops has the program regularly feeding players to the league.

In this year’s draft, four former Wildcats have a realistic chance of getting selected, headlined by Will Levis as a likely first-round selection with projections as high as second overall. (Or as high as first overall, if we’re to believe Reddit.)

Before the spotlight shines on Levis, let’s shine it on many of the Wildcats drafted before him.

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1977: Two first-round picks from Kentucky

In the 1977 NFL Draft, three-time All-SEC tackle Warren Bryant became Kentucky’s first first-round pick of the modern draft era when he was selected sixth overall by the Atlanta Falcons. Later in the round, the Baltimore Colts selected Kentucky wide receiver Randy Burke at No. 26 overall, the only time Kentucky had two first-rounders in one draft.

1978: Art Still picked second overall

With the second pick in the 1978 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Kentucky’s Art Still, one of the all-time greats to wear the blue and white. Still was a First Team All-American end and the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 1977. He gave Kansas City a decade of dominance on the defensive line, where he was a record-setter and four-time Pro Bowl selection, until finishing his career with the Buffalo Bills.

1985: George Adams first running back off the board

Three future Pro Football Hall of Famers were already off the board when the New York Football Giants took the first running back of the 1985 NFL Draft, the University of Kentucky’s George Adams. Adams rushed for over 1,000 yards his All-SEC senior season at Kentucky before he became only the fourth first-rounder out of UK since 1970.

32 years later, Adams’ son, Jamal Adams, was selected sixth overall out of LSU in the 2017 NFL Draft.

1988: Pittsburgh gambled on Dermontti Dawson, now a Pro Football Hall of Famer

Though he was the top-rated center prospect in his draft class, Kentucky offensive guard Dermontti Dawson admits he was surprised to get the call from Pittsburgh in the second round in 1988, a draft with little interest or need for the center position. The Steelers jumped on Dawson, a mid-round projection, at No. 44 overall.

Then in the third round, the Steelers took the second-rated center in the class, in hopes one of Dawson or Notre Dame’s Chuck Lanza could one day take over for Mike Webster, a Pittsburgh legend. Dawson quickly won the job and changed the way centers play football in his seven-time Pro Bowl career from 1988 to 2000, all in Pittsburgh.

Fun fact: Pittsburgh used its first 1988 pick on Eastern Kentucky University’s Aaron Jones.

1999: Tim Couch selected first overall

History was made in 1999 when Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch became the school’s first and only No. 1 overall pick. The 1998 SEC Player of the Year and Heisman Trophy finalist was selected by the Cleveland Browns ahead of fellow quarterback prospects Donovan McNabb and Akili Smith, the second and third overall selections.

As for his career in Cleveland, Couch was not a bust and we can step outside if you have the audacity to say he was.

2003: Dewayne Robertson first defensive player picked, first from the SEC

Four years after Couch was the star of the draft, another Kentucky underclassman was picked very early in the first round when Dewayne Robertson was selected fourth overall by the New York Jets. The first SEC prospect off the board in ’03, Kentucky’s Robertson followed Carson Palmer, Charles Rogers, and Andre Johnson to the stage where he was the first defensive player selected in the draft. To this day, Robertson is second to Art Still in highest-picked defensive players from Kentucky.

2011: Randall Cobb fell to the Super Bowl champs

Randall Cobb was sitting in the NFL Draft green room when he was selected with the final pick of the second round by the defending Super Bowl champions, the Green Bay Packers.

Kentucky’s do-everything superstar fell further down the draft than many expected, but things worked out pretty well in Green Bay. After all, he had over 400 yards and a touchdown in 13 games for Green Bay at 32 years old last season.

And earlier this week, he shared a workout video that suggests he’s not done yet. New York with his good buddy Aaron Rodgers, perhaps?

2015: Mark Stoops’ first first-round pick

Mark Stoops’ new brand of Kentucky Football put two defensive standouts in the NFL in 2015 when Bud Dupree and Za’Darius Smith began their NFL careers in the same draft class. Dupree was Kentucky’s first first-round pick since Dewayne Robertson while Big Z followed later in the draft’s fourth round. Dupree went No. 22 overall to the Steelers, Smith No. 122 overall to Baltimore, the Steelers’ divisional rival.

Also of note that year, Dupree’s draft suit was the wrong color.

2019: Mark Stoops in the NFL Draft green room with Josh Allen

Mark Stoops’ brand of Kentucky Football reached new heights in 2019 when Kentucky’s head coach was all over the Thursday night draft coverage as a special guest of Josh Allen. Traditionally a John Calipari move, Stoops found the cameras during primetime TV as he watched the first of five Kentucky players get drafted from the 2019 Citrus Bowl season, headlined by Josh Allen at No. 7 the first night.

Overall, the 2019 NFL Draft was a huge weekend for Kentucky. “The best moment in school history,” Calipari might say.

KSR was there:

2019: Wesley Allen stole the show

Also from Josh Allen’s big night in 2019, his young son, Wesley, became an NFL Draft and Jacksonville Jaguars celebrity when he accompanied his dad to the stage with his own draft hat.

2021: Another first-rounder in Jamin Davis, a record six picks in total

After a breakout redshirt junior year in Lexington, Jamin Davis became Stoops’ third first-rounder when he used his one year as a starter to skyrocket up draft boards. Davis was picked 19th overall by the Washington Football Team.

Joining Davis in the 2021 draft, five other Wildcats were picked for a modern-day record of six NFL draft picks from the University of Kentucky. They were Davis (1st), Kelvin Joseph (2nd), Quinton Bohanna (6th), Brandin Echols (6th), Landon Young (6th), and Phil Hoskins (7th).

2022: Robinson and Pashcal in the second

A year after six Wildcats were selected, Kentucky put two in the second round in school record-holder Wan’Dale Robinson at No. 11 in the second and school legend Josh Paschal three spots behind him at 14th in the second (43rd and 46th overall).

Then center Luke Fortner went off the board in the third, followed by his Big Blue Wall teammate, Darian Kinnard, in the fifth to the Super Bowl champ Kansas City Chiefs.

2023: How early will Levis go?

Tonight in the first round, Will Levis is the one and only player to watch for Kentucky. He could become the second-highest quarterback drafted from Kentucky (Babe Parilli went fourth in 1952).

Here’s the latest on Levis, straight from Levis.