NFL was out in full force at Kentucky pro day

Kentucky football hosted pro day on Friday at Nutter Field House. This was not a typical event for the SEC football program.

With star quarterback Will Levis making a top-10 pick push, there was a national presence in Lexington on Thursday night and on Friday morning. Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel was spotted in KSBar. The Carolina Panthers took Levis out to dinner. Those weren’t the only pro franchises with representatives on campus.

KSR was on-site for the full event and got to take everything in. Some big national media personalities were on-hand (Todd McShay, Louis Riddick, Ian Rappaport) but there were also some big-name coaches and general managers in attendance.

NFL teams spotted at Kentucky pro day

We had boots on the ground for over four hours at pro day. While we may not have spotted every NFL scout or representative, I’m thinking that we got eyes on the vast majority. Here were the teams in attendance on Friday.

• San Francisco 49ers
• Chicago Bears
• Cincinnati Bengals
• Buffalo Bills
• Denver Broncos
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Los Angeles Chargers
• Kansas City Chiefs
• Indianapolis Colts
• Washington Commanders
• Dallas Cowboys
• Miami Dolphins
• Philadelphia Eagles
• Atlanta Falcons
• New York Giants
• Jacksonville Jaguars
• New York Jets
• New England Patriots
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Los Angeles Rams
• Baltimore Ravens
• New Orleans Saints
• Seattle Seahawks
• Pittsburgh Steelers
• Houston Texans
• Minnesota Vikings

The Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, and Green Bay Packers were the only teams we did not spot in the building on Friday. However, who came could tell us more.

Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks put on the full court press

Both the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks own top-five picks. Each needs a quarterback of the future. Not surprisingly, each has made the rounds this week.

Both franchises have been spotted at Alabama and Ohio State to visit Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud. The NFC organizations also made the trip to Lexington to meet with Will Levis and watch the quarterback in an on-field workout.

Next stop on the tour 🤝 pic.twitter.com/GfC9RFhCvO

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) March 24, 2023

Panthers new head coach Frank Reich was seen hovering around Levis for most of the event and was striking up a conversation with the QB prospect throughout the day. Current signs say that Carolina is considering taking the Kentucky prospect at No. 1 overall.

The Seahawks were also well represented at the event as general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll were both in Lexington.

Tennessee Titans take a close look at Chris Rodriguez Jr.

There was another NFL head coach also in Lexington. Titans head coach Mike Vrabel was joined by new general manager Ran Carthon. The AFC South franchise holds the No. 11 overall pick and that might be too low to get into the Will Levis sweepstakes without a trade-up unless an unexpected draft day fall occurs.

However, the Titans seem focused on another Kentucky prospect.

During an on-field workout, Vrabel was watching Chris Rodriguez Jr. very, very closely. Tennessee could be moving away from Derrick Henry soon and will need to start rebuilding at running back. Rodriguez could be a Day 3 option for a franchise that needs to add some youth on offense.

Keidron Smith gets some attention from AFC teams

Kentucky cornerback Keidron Smith won’t be a fit for every NFL team. The former Ole Miss transfer is strictly a defensive back that will be at his best in a zone-heavy scheme. Therefore, the scheme fit matters a lot in Smith’s evaluation.

But more teams are leaning heavily on big-play prevention in the NFL and that means more zone coverage. The New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh ran a Cover 3 heavy defense when he was the defensive coordinator in San Francisco. Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley ran a zone-heavy defense when he was the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams.

Either could be a fit for Smith. Representatives from both franchises were seen chatting up the 6-foot-2 cornerback during the event. Despite not receiving an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine, there is real interest in the super senior cornerback.