Draft choices prove Mark Stoops is taking UK to “another level”

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Second round pick Kelvin Joseph had an interception against Alabama. (UK Athletics Photo)

What a day for Kentucky football? After watching linebacker Jamin Davis get picked in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday and cornerback Kelvin Joseph going in the second round Friday, Kentucky had four players — defensive lineman Quinton Bohanna (Dallas), defensive back Brandin Echols (Jets), offensive lineman Landon Young (New Orleans) and defensive lineman Phil Hoskins (Carolina) — picked Saturday.

Hoskins went in the seventh round while the other three all went in the sixth round.

It was a proud NFL draft for UK coach Mark Stoops but maybe even more so for recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow.

“@UKCoachStoops has took this program to another level and as he says we just getting started bro. Go Big Blue,” Marrow posted on Twitter after the draft ended.

The six draft picks were the most UK has had since 1978 — that’s 43 years — and fourth-most in school history. It is also the second time in the last three years that Kentucky has had five or more draft picks.

It was also the second time in the last three years UK had both a first- and second-round draft choice (Josh Allen in round one and Lonnie Johnson in round two in 2019. Before that UK had not had two picks in the first two rounds since 1977 when Warren Bryant and Randy Burke both went in the first round.

SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic pointed out that from 1995 to 2012 UK had one linebacker drafted. Since Stoops arrived at UK, the Cats have had five linebackers picked in the last seven drafts, including three in the first round with Davis’ selection Thursday.

Overall, Stoops has now had 18 players drafted, including an offensive lineman the last three years starting with George Asafo-Adjei in the seventh round by the New York Giants in 2019 and offensive guard Logan Stenberg in the fourth round last year.

Stoops was keeping up with the draft Saturday while he was at Churchill Downs in Louisville for the Kentucky Derby.

Remember defensive lineman T.J. Carter, who finished his playing time at UK in 2019, signed as a free agent with the Steelers before the draft. Linebacker Boogie Watson also signed a free agent deal wtih Pittsburgh Saturday. Same with running back A.J. Rose with Minnesota.

All-American punter Max Duffy was not drafted (Pittsburgh took a punter with the fifth to last pick of the draft and that was the only punter drafted). However, earlier last week Duffy was picked by the Toronto Argonauts with the 30th overall pick in the Canadian Football League draft.

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