NFL Draft Breakdown
Four Kentucky football players were selected in the latest NFL Draft and that's another solid showing for a program that has become a bit of a pipeline to the league in recent years.
Wan'Dale Robinson — New York Giants
For all the talk about Robinson being undersized and how he has carried that for so long it must have won the Giants a lot of loyalty when they picked the Kentucky receiver with the 43rd overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. There have been examples of smaller players succeeding in the NFL, but Robinson is on one far end of that spectrum and he certainly has some doubters. Still, there's a reason the Giants picked Robinson here.
Because Robinson was exclusively a slot in Kentucky's offense he will not be someone who goes outside but the hope is he can be such a problem and big-play threat that he warrants the spot. Separation is tough to come by in the NFL and Robinson can guarantee there's some of that.
Giants writer Ralph Vacchiano noted, "Also, Robinson really is part of a three-player package because Joe Schoen traded down twice before making this pick. He traded with the Jets to move from No. 36 to No. 38 and picked up their fifth-round pick (146th overall). And then he traded down from 38 to 43 with the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for their fourth-rounder (114th overall)."
Vacchiano called it "a very curious choice" because he views Robinson as "the fourth receiver at best behind (Kadarius) Toney, Kenny Golladay and Sterling Shepard.
Robinson's draft spot was always going to be about one or a handful of franchises really buying into how he can impact things immediately as a dynamic slot with limitations and he went sooner than some expected but it's not a surprise that he had believers. Some went as far to call it a "major reach", like Dan Duggan of The Athletic, but it will be a nice selling point for UK that his springboard year in Lexington ended so well.
Josh Paschal — Detroit Lions
With the 46th overall pick in the draft, the Detroit Lions made Josh Paschal a second rounder. While Paschal was not regarded as having totally ideal length he was rated off the charts in some other categories, including motor, character, and fit.
Zack Patrow of NFL Draft Bible was high on the pick because he called Paschal "pro ready", emphasized his versatility, and speculated that he may be one of the best players in this draft "at converting speed to power... He's a guy who will win the leverage battle."
After the Lions drafted Paschal the former Kentucky defensive lineman said, "I love to be able to lead different guys in different ways, as far as some guys -- I believe every person that you lead, you have to have that bond with. But, some guys, you learn respond best to calling somebody out, and some guys respond best to pulling somebody to the side. Going into Detroit, now to really take it in this first year and be able to learn from the veterans. I’ve been blessed enough to be around Logan Stenberg, as well, a Kentucky guy up there. He’s told me nothing but great things about Detroit. So, I’m looking forward to it.”
One stated concern about Paschal is whether he may have reached his development ceiling due to the measurables. But there seems to be a belief that he could come in and make a serious impact right away.
The Lions had selected Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson with the number two pick in the draft, so the franchise will be looking for an immediate upgrade on the EDGE given their draft investment at those spots.
Lions GM Brad Holmes was quoted, "“He was one of those guys... ‘If we don’t come off with this guy, I’m going to be mad.’ I told Dan that straight-up, ‘I’m going to be mad if we don’t come off with him.”
NFL.com writer Chad Reuter said the Lions' pick here was his favorite of the second round.
"Now the Lions have an active, strong defender who can play outside or wreak havoc between the tackles on a three-man front or in pass-rush sub-packages."
Luke Fortner — Jacksonville Jaguars
Nobody could have seen this coming one year ago. Fortner wasn't exactly an afterthought but for several years people had been talking about former classmates Drake Jackson and Landon Young.
He moved to center and the rest is history. Fortner started every game for Kentucky and was selected with the 65th pick in the third round by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Fortner became a coveted center prospect because of his athleticism, football IQ, ability to play in space, and versatility. Throw all that in together with Fortner's Big Blue Wall association and the fact that he was the leader of a unit that paved the way for the Cats to average 200 rushing and 200 passing yards per game and he was an attractive prospect for the organization.
The Jaguars were intent on building up their defense in the 2022 draft so the Fortner selection says something about how the organization feels about him.
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said, ""He gives us depth at the position. Great competition there. He’s a guy that when you watch him on film, he can do everything that we do in our offense in the run game. Whether he’s reaching the three-technique or climbing to the second level, he’s got the ability to do that. He can redirect. Just a really good fit for our offensive line and that room."
Darian Kinnard — Kansas City Chiefs
There were some major draft successes for Kentucky last week but Darian Kinnard falling all the way to the fifth round was a bit of a disappointment considering he returned for his senior year in the hopes of working his way up the draft board more.
Kinnard didn't help himself during the draft auditions and made some politically-charged statements that were curious during the most important job interviews of his life.
The silver lining is that the Kinnard joins a very strong organization and a contender.
Chiefs general manager Mike Veach said, “I think any time that you can go in and play right tackle successfully at the SEC level, more often than not, that’ll translate to the pro level. Now, it’ll be a jump — just like all of these colleges are when you’re moving up to the NFL; it’s not like it’s going to be easier — but I think that [the SEC is] one conference that gives you a sense of hope and a sense of encouragement. I think we all saw that Georgia defensive line last year. If you can line up and play against defensive fronts of that caliber, you’re going to have a shot.”
Veach went on to say that Kinnard has to improve in some areas but it seems he was drafted to really compete for the Chiefs' right tackle position, with guard as a distinct possibility if that doesn't work out. Tackle may be his best opportunity to work his way into a starting spot early.
It's safe to say Kinnard will have a big chip on his shoulder after falling at least a couple of rounds below what he was surely hoping for. Veach did say it could be rough at the start.
Undrafted Free Agents
Justin Rigg — Cincinnati Bengals
UK's tight end was not expected to be drafted but Cats Illustrated had reported that Rigg had a very good workout with the Bengals so it wasn't a surprise to see Cincinnati pick him. There will be a competition but the early thinking seems to be that the practice squad is the most likely scenario.
Yusuf Corker — New York Giants
The hope around UK was that Corker would be selected in the draft but that didn't happen. Some had projected him as a fifth round pick. At the NFL combine Corker had 23 bench reps which was the most of any defensive back.
Dare Rosenthal — Atlanta Falcons
A lot of people with an interest in UK football were hoping Rosenthal would opt to return for another year in Lexington but he went undrafted so it's inevitable that the wisdom of the decision will be questioned. Because of the transfer from LSU a lot of NFL teams were eager to talk to him about off the field matters.