As you will see here below, the quality of players going off the board in Rounds 7 & 8 of the CI Mock UK Football Draft is a testament to the depth of the Wildcat roster.
Find picks and rationale below and continue comparing the squads.
ROUND 7
Travis Graf (Pick 19): MARQUAN McCALL
"“Bully” lived up to his nickname in 2019, after getting in shape and hitting the weight room hard during the previous off season. His snap counts were higher than most had expected, and he constantly drew double teams or got into the lap of the quarterback. With another offseason of strength and conditioning under his belt, I think he will take the next step towards eventually being one of the best defensive linemen in the conference in time. "
Justin Rowland (Pick 20): JORDAN WRIGHT
"Boogie Watson is someone I was really hoping to get (thanks Travis) but I'm happy to add Jordan Wright, who I'll pair with Josh Paschal in the front seven as a very nice pass rushing duo. Wright has held up well when he's played, and is one of the best athletes on the team. He's disruptive and a playmaker. In Wright, Paschal, and Jamin Davis, I've got either three of Kentucky's top five linebackers or two of the top four and Paschal."
Jeff Drummond (Pick 21): KELVIN JOSEPH
"After transferring from LSU last season, Kelvin Joseph was called perhaps the most talented scout-team player to ever step on the practice field at the JCFTC. This year, he gets to do it for real. A national Top 100 recruit and Rivals' No. 5 safety in 2018, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Joseph gives Mark Stoops another impact player in a deep secondary. It's crowded back there, but Joseph had the raw talent to play in 11 games as a freshman at LSU, which is known for producing great defensive backs. And the part I love the best, as shared by Kentucky cornerbacks coach Steve Clinkscale last fall, "He's got a lot of dog in him."
ROUND 8
Drummond (Pick 22): JUSTIN ROGERS
"I can count on one hand the number of five-star prospects Kentucky has landed during my time covering the Wildcats. Justin Rogers is a rare talent that I can't allow to slide any further in our draft. The 6-foot-4, 314-pound defensive tackle was the No. 1 high school player in Michigan and the No. 2 defensive tackle in the nation, choosing UK over a list of scholarship offers that included Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State -- and if you haven't got the picture already -- basically anyone who runs a DI football program. If his ranking is legit, and I have no reason to believe otherwise, he's going to play a lot as freshman. You'll have a hard time wiping the smile off my face lining him up next to Quinton Bohanna on Team Drummond."
Rowland (Pick 23): NAASIR WATKINS
"Here's the thing about Kentucky's offensive line. It's going to be one of the nation's top units, but there is not a lot of proven depth in terms of guys who have actually done it in games. With Jeff taking Darian Kinnard and with my pick of Landon Young in the second round, the only other tackle with substantial game experience at tackle is Watkins. There are a lot of possibilities at guard, but tackles are tough to come by. In pairing Young with Watkins to protect Terry Wilson, I like where I stand in the trenches."
Graf (Pick 24): CEDRICK DORT
"In his first season as full-time starter at the cornerback spot, Dort did not allow a single touchdown pass to any of his assignments. The redshirt sophomore was third on the team in pass breakups and was great analytically, finishing the season as an honorable mention All-SEC PFF performer. I don’t envision him losing that starting spot in 2020, and Dort could see an even bigger leap in production this season, which would be a scary thing when you think about everything Kentucky returns on defense."
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
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
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
