Three young defensive players were selected in Round 8 of the Cats Illustrated Mock UK Football Draft on Wednesday.

Here are those picks and the teams to date.

Justin Rowland

Round 8, Pick 22

TYRELL AJIAN

There aren't a lot of proven options in Kentucky's secondary and it was important for me not to be left out. This is my second consecutive defensive back selection, having scooped up Brandin Echols, who I believe to be UK's best corner, in the previous round. Tyrell Ajian is a likely starter at safety opposite Davonte Robinson and he has demonstrated a knack for being around the ball and making plays in limited action thus far in his career. There have been some early comparisons to Mike Edwards in terms of playing style. With Quinton Bohanna, Calvin Taylor, Boogie Watson and these two defensive backs, I believe my team has the makings of the best defense in this draft.

Jeff Drummond

Round 8, Pick 23

MOSES DOUGLASS

Kentucky has recruited and developed the secondary really well with Mark Stoops at the helm, and even though the Cats are saying farewell to a pair of fantastic safeties in Darius West and Mike Edwards, there is a lot of talent eager for a chance to step into the spotlight. Legacy signee Moses Douglass is a guy who is going to be difficult to keep off the field. He's one of the most physically developed freshmen to join the UK secondary in a long time. During spring practice, if you didn't already know who the player was, you would have sworn he was a guy who had already been in the strength and conditioning program for a couple of years. The early enrollee is a fantastic combination of size and athleticism you look for at the position.

Travis Graf

Round 8, Pick 24

JORDAN WRIGHT

I’m in need of a pass rusher to fill the Jack position, so I’ll take Jordan Wright here. The sophomore played sparingly behind Josh Allen last season, but was never a huge factor, totaling four tackles. Wright showed some promise dropping back into coverage in the spring game, coming up with an interception in the contest. He won’t be Josh Allen 2.0, but he should be a serviceable pass rusher who, if he gets better at setting the edge against the run, would be a great pick up for my squad.

*****

TEAM ROWLAND

RB A.J. Rose

DL Quinton Bohanna

DL Calvin Taylor

OL Logan Stenberg

OL Naasir Watkins

LB Boogie Watkins

DB Brandin Echols

DB Tyrell Ajian

TEAM DRUMMOND

WR Lynn Bowden

RB Kavosiey Smoke

OL Drake Jackson

OL Landon Young

DL Josh Paschal

LB Kash Daniel

TE Keaton Upshaw

DB Moses Douglass

TEAM GRAF

QB Terry Wilson

DB Davonte Robinson

LB Chris Oats

OL Darian Kinnard

OL Luke Fortner

LB DeAndre Square

DB Jordan Griffin

LB Jordan Wright