Kentucky Pro Day Preview: Wildcats look to secure spot in draft

Phase one of the draft season occurred up in Indianapolis in the first week of March at the NFL Scouting Combine. Phase two for Kentucky will occur on Friday at Nutter Field House.

The Kentucky football program will be hosting its annual pro day workout late on Friday morning and the Wildcats will have 11 former players participating and going through multiple drills for the NFL organizations in attendance. KSR will be live from the scene to provide coverage.

However, we need to get prepared for the event. KSR is diving into the nuts and bolts as Kentucky’s Pro Day will be an integral event for many former players.

Secure Day 2 picks

The NFL has had a wild offseason and that will likely leak into the first round of the draft. With big questions surrounding most of this year’s quarterbacks, don’t be surprised if Thursday night at the NFL Draft gets wild with trades and surprising picks.

Unfortunately, Kentucky will likely not be a part of those wild festivities.

Instead, the focus shifts to day two on Friday night as Kentucky could see up to four players hear their names called in both rounds two and three.

Darian Kinnard (6-5, 322) appears to be the top target on the board. The play at offensive tackle was rough in the Senior Bowl but the All-American has great value as a guard, and a team that utilizes a gap scheme rushing attack should be very interested in his services.

Elsewhere in the second round, Wan’Dale Robinson (5-8, 178) should have a great chance at locking up a spot towards the end of the round. There are legitimate size concerns after measuring in an inch or two smaller than expected with arms shorter than 28 inches. However, the speed testing has been phenomenal, and the tape from 2021 was top-notch. In a deep receiver draft, the former Nebraska transfer has a great shot at hearing his name called at the end of round two.

The combine was a big moment for Josh Paschal (6-3, 268) as the redshirt senior got to flash his strong football IQ in front of personnel departments and put on a show on the field. The defensive end’s testing was off the charts, and that performance should lock in a day two selection despite missing the Senior Bowl.

Josh Paschal is a DE prospect in the 2022 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.09 RAS at the Combine out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 128 out of 1389 DE from 1987 to 2022. https://t.co/HksY0qDSyH #RAS via @Mathbomb pic.twitter.com/k8Ynmdluu1

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 6, 2022

Elsewhere, super senior Luke Fortner (6-4, 307) is starting to get some buzz, and the Ohio native is competing with Cam Jurgens (Nebraska) and Dylan Parham (Memphis) for C2 honors. The former guard is a scheme versatile player who could sneak his way into round three.

All four players will be participating at pro day looking to lock up their status as day two picks.

Increase draft stock

As we move over to look at day three, Kentucky has multiple prospects that could go between rounds 4-7. Yusuf Corker, Marquan McCall, and Dare Rosenthal are all hopeful that their pro day performance can be one final springboard as the draft nears.

Corker (6-0, 203) started three seasons for Kentucky and was often used as a run support player from his safety position. At the combine, the Metro Atlanta native flashed some power with a position best 23 reps on the bench press and explosiveness with a broad jump over 10 inches. However, the safety selected to sit out the rest of the testing as he waiting for pro day. Friday will be significant for Corker, and a huge day could allow him to sneak into the end of the fourth round.

McCall (6-3, 342) also sat out multiple events at the combine choosing to participate at pro day. However, the nose tackle’s weight is in a good spot, and a wingspan of 80-plus inches will attract some teams. Showing athleticism will be huge for the zero-technique as a solid day could lock in a sixth-round pick similar to Quinton Bohanna last season.

Perhaps the biggest unknown for this draft season is Rosenthal (6-7, 290). The LSU transfer was one of the better tackles in the SEC last season and recorded a sub-4.9 forty-yard dash at the combine. There are positional athleticism traits for the tackle, but he is a developmental prospect. More explosive testing scores could give Rosenthal some huge variance as a prospect. Anything from the fourth round until the late seventh-round feels like it’s on the table.

Hidden gems

In the past, Kentucky’s Pro Day has been a huge event where undrafted free agents turned into picks. George Asafo-Adjei impressed the New York Giants with big-time power. Brandin Echols locked up a sixth-round selection with the New York Jets thanks to some elite athletic scores. Phil Hoskins got the eyes of the Carolina Panthers with size, positional length, and functional movement skills.

Will Kentucky have a guy do that this year?

Quandre Mosely was a former junior college transfer who returned for a super senior year last fall and was quietly one of the most consistent contributors on defense. As the cornerbacks struggled, Mosely gave the Wildcats consistently solid play down the stretch at field cornerback. Listed at 6-foot-2 with some solid ball production on tape, good testing — solid length measurements, good speed scores — could get Mosely into the draft.

At wide receiver, Josh Ali was another player who returned for a super senior season, and the South Florida product led Kentucky with a 61 percent receiving success rate on 59 targets last fall. Ali finished his career with 131 receptions and has extensive experience playing both Z and in the slot at Kentucky. Some big testing scores combined with college production could score the former three-star prospect a draft pick.

A third super senior, Justin Rigg spent six years with the Kentucky football program and played in a school-record 63 games with 35 starts. Age is working against him, but Rigg was a versatile blocker in Liam Coen’s pro-style offense, and positive strength scores could entice NFL organizations.

Familiar face

One of the cooler things about pro day events is that you will see familiar faces come back at unexpected times. Last year, T.J. Carter returned to work out as his pro day was canceled following the 2019 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year there is another surprise.

After finishing up his career with New Mexico, Terry Wilson will return to the Kentucky campus to work out for NFL scouts on Friday. A former junior college transfer, Wilson started 25 games for the Wildcats compiling a 17-8 record as a starter.

Wilson finished his career with 38 total touchdowns (27 pass, 11 rush) in four seasons and will be looking for an opportunity at the pro level.