CI staff members and draft members are now well into Kentucky's pool of backups as they draft to fill out rosters.
Here are Rounds 17 & 18 with accompanying rationale.
ROUND 17
Travis Graf (Pick 49): JUTAHN MCCLAIN
"McClain is possibly the most versatile running back on Kentucky’s roster, with arguably the highest college ceiling. He can catch the ball out of the backfield and he can be a home run threat like Boom Williams was at Kentucky. His offers from Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan and Penn State speak for themselves. McClain will have a role on this year’s squad, and will show his potential whenever he touches the ball."
Justin Rowland (Pick 50): NICK LEWIS
"Lewis is my fourth offensive line selection and I've got him slotted as a guard opposite Austin Dotson. With those two very large humans on the inside, playing alongside Landon Young and Naasir Watkins, I am not at all concerned about my front. In fact, I feel comfortable in saying I've got the best offense going, perhaps by a good margin. Lewis has been in the program a while, has tremendous size and a body that has been improving, and he could eventually be a contributor for this program. As I have said before, 10 times out of 10 when you're talking about backups I will take older linemen with lots of S&C time as opposed to true freshmen."
Jeff Drummond (Pick 51): JOHN YOUNG
"I felt like I could hold off on returning to the O-Line until this stage in the draft because John Schlarman has done a remarkable job of stockpiling talent in his unit. To get an elite prospect like John Young this late in the draft underscores that. The four-star tackle from Louisville chose the Cats over the likes of Auburn, Georgia, Ohio State, and Notre Dame. He's got some experienced talent ahead of him in the form of Landon Young and Darian Kinnard, but the 6-foot-7, 285-pounder has a chance to be UK's next star at the position."
ROUND 18
Drummond (Pick 52): RJ ADAMS
"RJ reminds me of the type of interior linemen that John Schlarman has thrived on identifying and developing during his time at UK. With a long offer sheet featuring Power 5s from almost every conference, Adams is not quite in the sleeper category that Bunchy Stallings was, but I see a lot of the same attributes in the 6-foot-3, 320-pound guard from Virginia. In the past, he would have been a candidate to play right away as a freshman. UK has better depth now, but he still might make a push with that spot vacated by Logan Stenberg up for grabs."
Rowland (Pick 53): TAJ DODSON
"Before his injury during the season in 2019, one of the great surprises of last year's team was that Dodson was apparently slotted ahead of Moses Douglass and some other talented young players in the secondary. Dodson was a well-regarded recruit, but he was apparently a second-stringer as a true freshman and so his standing with the staff appears to be much higher than anyone anticipated it would be. My secondary is now complete with Brandin Echols, Quandre Mosely, Yusuf Corker, and Taj Dodson. Good luck throwing on those guys."
Graf (Pick 54): TYRELL AJIAN
"A seasoned vet, Ajian has seen action in 25 out of 26 games since his redshirt season. Now a redshirt junior, Ajian will firmly be in the rotation in the defensive backfield. He’s had multiple interceptions and pass breakups over the last couple of seasons, so he’s shown that he can be a playmaker in the secondary. Consistency is the next big step in the safety’s game."
ROSTER CHECKS
Team Graf
OL Drake Jackson
DB Davonte Robinson
LB Boogie Watson
OL Luke Fortner
WR Josh Ali
DL Phil Hoskins
DL Marquan McCall
DB Cedrick Dort
OL Kenneth Horsey
LB JJ Weaver
DL Kordell Looney
WR Michael Drennen
OL Jeremy Flax
LB Jared Casey
WR Isaiah Epps
LB KD McDaniel
RB Jutahn McClain
DB Tyrell Ajian
Team Rowland
QB Terry Wilson
OL Landon Young
DL/LB Josh Paschal
LB Jamin Davis
DB Brandin Echols
RB Kavosiey Smoke
LB Jordan Wright
OL Naasir Watkins
DB Yusuf Corker
DB Quandre Mosely
DL Davoan Hawkins
DL Abule Abadi-Fitzgerald
OL Austin Dotson
TE Keaton Upshaw
WR Clevan Thomas
WR Bryce Oliver
OL Nick Lewis
DB Taj Dodson
Team Drummond
OL Darian Kinnard
DL Quinton Bohanna
LB DeAndre Square
LB Chris Oats
RB AJ Rose
RB Chris Rodriguez
DB Kelvin Joseph
DL Justin Rogers
TE Justin Rigg
OL Quintin Wilson
DB Jamari Brown
DB Moses Douglass
QB Sawyer Smith
LB Xavier Peters
DB MJ Devonshire
WR Allen Dailey
OL John Young
OL RJ Adams
