Draft Notebook: Day 2 could be busy for Kentucky football

The all-star portion of the draft season is complete. It looks like each Kentucky player involved met expectations at the Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl. All eyes now turn to Indianapolis where the NFL and college football world will meet at the Scouting Combine at the end of the month.

KSR’s Draft Notebook returns to recap where Deone Walker and Maxwell Hairston sit following their performance in Mobile and take a look at what additional Kentucky players could be invited to Indianapolis.

Let’s dive in.

Maxwell Hairston, Deone Walker seem to solidified Day 2 floor

The Senior Bowl was a big week for both Maxwell Hairston and Deone Walker in this pre-draft process. Both left Mobile having done some positive things on the practice field.

Hairston made a big splash and looked very good in man coverage reps. The combine will be a chance for the cornerback to show off some of his speed, but for now, the redshirt junior looks like a second-round lock. There is even some first-round buzz building for the class of 2021 recruit.

Walker didn’t seem to have as big of a week as Hairston, but still showed NFL personnel his sheer size and movement skills. Pad level was a concern during the Senior Bowl, but Walker won his fair share of reps and could bring instant value to an NFL team as a pass rusher. In a loaded defensive tackle draft, odds seem good on Walker going off the board in the second round.

Kentucky has produced six Day 2 picks over the last three years. Two more could be on the way in 2025.

Who could be headed to Indianapolis?

The NFL Scouting Combine officially begins in three weeks when things get rolling on Feb. 27 at the Indiana Convention Center in Downtown Indianapolis. I can already smell that St. Elmo’s cocktail sauce. The official invite list should be released soon.

What Kentucky players could be on it?

It’s a safe bet that Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Maxwell Hairston, and Deone Walker will all be headed to Indy after participating in a big all-star game. But what about the rest of the roster?

Here are five Kentucky players that could join Dumas-Johnson, Hairston, and Walker in Indianpolis.

Zion Childress: The multi-year starter at Kentucky has played a ton of football during his five-year collegiate career at Texas State and Kentucky. Childress slid down to nickel full-time in 2024 and had a productive season. Experience and versatility boxes can be checked in a big way.

Eli Cox: A four-year starter at center and guard in the SEC, Cox participated in the Hula Bowl and could be in consideration for a late Day 3 pick thanks to his combination of experience, strength, and positional versatility.

D’Eryk Jackson: The multi-year starter at off-ball linebacker was playing at an All-SEC level before being lost to the season for injury. Jackson very likely would’ve been at an all-star game if healthy. The former three-star recruit should get an invite to Indianapolis to complete medical evaluation and to meet with teams.

Tre’vonn Rybka: At 6-foot-4 and 284 pounds, Rybka could potentially check the size box on the defensive line and flashed as a pass rusher at times during his Kentucky career. Rybka will be a player that scouts might take a closer look at during Kentucky’s Pro Day if there is not a combine invite.

J.J. Weaver: The Louisville (Ky.) Moore product has played a bunch of football (2,446 career snaps) and has played and battled through injuries. Participated in the Hula Bowl and brings good size to the EDGE position as a 3-4 linebacker.

Expect more skepticism about this QB class

The Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, and New York Giants own the top three picks of the 2025 NFL Draft. Each needs a franchise quarterback. However, it doesn’t feel like any is a lock to take the top available quarterback in this draft.

There is skepticism about the quarterbacks in this draft. Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward will very likely be the first two quarterbacks off the board, but there seems to be a great chance that Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter goes first overall.

It does not appear the second tier of quarterback prospects helped themselves at the Senior Bowl.

Jaxson Dart, Dillon Gabriel, Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe and others were all in the fringe first-round conversation entering the all-star circuit, but that seems unlikely now. It feels like this draft will not start until Sanders or Ward comes off the board.

Odds are high that each ends up becoming a top-five pick, but it might not be a year where teams run to the podium or sell valuable assets to trade up and take a QB at the start off the draft.

Most of the pre-draft process is spent talking about the top quarterbacks. This year there are plenty of teams that desperately need a new leader at quarterback, but the Ward vs. Sanders conversation hasn’t created a ton of buzz outside of skepticism about this quarterback draft.

That will change in Indianapolis, but the skepticism of this QB class will not go away.