Will Levis might have landed a contract worth $7 million or more if he had put his name into the NFL Draft this year. (Photo by Vicky Graff)
The day after the National Football League draft ended, Kentucky associate head coach Vince Marrow said if quarterback Will Levis and running back Chris Rodriguez had put their names in the draft they would likely have gone fairly early in the draft.
Marrow said he thought Levis would have been a second-round selection while Rodriguez would have gone in the fourth round. Instead, both will hope to improve their draft stock during the upcoming season.
Their return obviously is huge for the Kentucky offense but what did they potentially give up to play another year for Kentucky?
Spotrac.com, a sports financial site, has data suggesting what the two might have passed up.
Kentucky receiver Wan’Dale Robinson was the 43rd overall pick early in the second round by the New York Giants. His projected signing bonus is about $3.1 million and his four-year contract estimate is about $8.2 million.
Kentucky linebacker Josh Pachal went three picks later to Detroit. His projected signing bonus is about $2.8 million and a four-year deal of $7.7 million.
Those are the kind of numbers that Levis would have been looking at if he was picked in the first half of the second round.
What about Rodriguez?
Kentucky offensive lineman Luke Fortner was the first pick of the third round by Jacksonville. His four-year value is about $5.5 million with a signing bonus of $1.2 million. Another UK offensive lineman, Darian Kinnard, went in the fifth round to Kansas City. His signing bonus is about $350,000 and his four-year contract should be about $4 million.
So if Rodriguez went in the fourth round, a signing bonus of $550,000 and contract of $4.5 million was certainly possible.
With name, image and likeness possibilities, both Rodriguez and Levis have a chance to earn money while at UK. Levis has signed several endorsement deals already and probably will add more.
