CI's Mock UK Football Draft: Rounds 5 & 6

"This is a “value over replacement” pick for me. Kentucky doesn’t have many proven playmakers outside of the backfield, but Ali is the closest thing they have to that. Without a true quarterback for most of the season, Ali still showed flashes of potentially being a big time playmaker for the ‘Cats, finishing second on the team in catches, third in receiving yards, and first in touchdowns. With Ali moving to the slot this offseason, I think he’s even more poised for a breakout season."

Justin Rowland (Pick 14): BRANDIN ECHOLS

"This is a value pick that I love. I'm comfortable saying that if we weren't considering positional scarcity, Echols would go higher and possibly much higher. In his first year as a junior college transfer he was arguably the surprise of the entire defense for the year. He's simply a ball-hawking playmaker who can cover and blow up blocks to make open field tackles."

Jeff Drummond (Pick 15): AJ ROSE

"After playing the 2018 season in the shadow of record-setting Benny Snell Jr. and the 2019 season as the second option behind All-American Lynn Bowden Jr., A.J. Rose may get his shot to move into the spotlight as a senior. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Cleveland native has been far more productive during his UK career than many fans realize, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Among Cats with 200-plus career carries, that ranks him fourth in program history behind only Bowden, Stanley "Boom" Williams, and Randall Cobb."

ROUND 6

Drummond (Pick 16): CHRIS RODRIGUEZ

"I explored a lot of different options with this pick, but I would up deciding that I get my best overall value at this point by locking up the Cats' two proven running backs. I've got the big-play, home run hitter in A.J. Rose and the between-the-tackles battering ram of Chris Rodriguez. The 5-foot-11, 224-pound sophomore from McDonough, Ga., has been extremely productive in limited opportunities his first two years, averaging an eye-popping 7.9 yards per carry and scoring six TD runs in only 73 attempts."

Rowland (Pick 17): KAVOSIEY SMOKE

"This is similar to my pick of Jamin Davis a couple of rounds ago after Jeff went ILB-ILB with Square and Oats. I can't get left out. With my esteemed colleague going Smoke-Rodriguez, I have little choice but to pick Smoke, and I'm just fine doing that. The one thing that Smoke needs to prove is durability, but when he's playing he's arguably Kentucky's best back. He had 101 carries, 616 yards, and six touchdowns last season, including 81 (5.06 ypc) against Florida before the ground game even got going. With Wilson, Smoke, and UK's starting left tackle, I'm sitting comfortably with the most explosive offense in the contest."

Graf (Pick 18): PHIL HOSKINS

"Hoskins was rewarded a rare extra year of eligibility by the NCAA for 2020 and I think he’ll continue build off of the upward trajectory that he’s been on over the course of his career at Kentucky. He will be a key part of my pass rushing schemes and will help clog the middle against the run."

ROSTER CHECKS

Team Graf

OL Drake Jackson

DB Davonte Robinson

LB Boogie Watson

OL Luke Fortner

WR Josh Ali

DL Phil Hoskins

Team Rowland

QB Terry Wilson

OL Landon Young

DL/LB Josh Paschal

LB Jamin Davis

CB Brandin Echols

RB Kavosiey Smoke

Team Drummond

OL Darian Kinnard

DL Quinton Bohanna

LB DeAndre Square

LB Chris Oats

RB AJ Rose

RB Chris Rodriguez