Kentucky Football in the NFL Draft, By the Numbers

The NFL Draft is the biggest non-football day of the year for football fans. Hundreds of thousands of people will descend upon Green Bay for what is essentially an NFL convention. It’s a celebration of the sport where the picks often feel like an afterthought, especially by day three.

For the players, it’s a life-changing experience. For Kentucky football fans, it hasn’t always been a must-watch. Tim Couch was the No. 1 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in 1999, but for many years, it was just another day in the NFL calendar. Mark Stoops has changed that during his 11-year run at Kentucky. Here’s what the Wildcats have accomplished during his time in Lexington.

Kentucky in the NFL Draft: By the Numbers

28 Mark Stoops players have been picked in the NFL Draft over 11 years. That includes a two-year drought in 2017-18. Kentucky has four potential additions to that total this year, with Eli Cox and Jamon Dumas-Johnson on the bubble.

There have been 3 first-round picks in the NFL Draft: Bud Dupree (No. 22, Pittsburgh Steelers), Josh Hines-Allen (No. 7, Jacksonville Jaguars), and Jamin Davis (No. 19, Washington Football Team). Maxwell Hairston is on track to become the fourth first-round pick, and first-ever UK defensive back picked on day one.

11 former Kentucky football players have been selected on day two of the NFL Draft. Mike Edwards is the greatest success story, winning two Super Bowls, one for the Bucs and one for the Chiefs.

6 defensive backs have been selected since 2019. There have also been 6 Mark Stoops defensive linemen taken in the NFL Draft.

Following the Covid-plagued 2020, 6 Kentucky Wildcats were selected, a record in the modern NFL Draft era. Four players were selected on the final day. Landon Young and Brandin Echols signed their second contracts this offseason.

Lengthy Droughts Snapped

Kentucky went 20 years without an offensive lineman in the NFL Draft. Larry Warford, a three-time Pro Bowler, snapped that streak in 2013. The Big Blue Wall had 4 offensive linemen selected in three years from 2019-22.

When Tim Couch was taken at the top of the 1999 NFL Draft, he became the first Kentucky quarterback selected in the modern era. Andre Woodson was the Wildcats only other selection at the position until Will Levis and Devin Leary were drafted in back-to-back years.

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