Lance Heard, Tavion Gadson crack ESPN's early 2027 NFL Draft watch list

Expectations are high in the trenches for Kentucky football in 2026. Lance Heard and Tavion Gadson are two big reasons why. The National Football League might just be paying close attention to these two and more at Kroger Field this fall.

The 2027 NFL Draft is over 10 months away but prep work has already begun. ESPN’s Matt Miller and Jordan Reid ranked their top-five prospects at each position on Friday. Two Kentucky players were mentioned in the piece.

Tennessee transfer Lance Heard was not among the top five tackles but is a player that the draft community is watching closely in 2026.

“Heard comes to the Wildcats after spending time at LSU (2023) and Tennessee (2024-25). At 6-foot-6, 325 pounds, he’s a bruising tackle who has high levels of hand power. Heard’s strength creates highlight-worthy blocks when utilized as a puller on gap-scheme runs,” Reid writes. “He is a high-end run blocker who demoralizes defenders, but he needs more consistency as a pass protector. Some scouts view Heard as a guard at the next level.”

Heard is a multi-time SEC transfer with 24 career starts who was added to be Kentucky’s starting left tackle. That’s exactly where Heard was at during spring practice. The former blue-chip recruit brings two-way production to this offensive line and can be a dominant force in the run game. Kentucky is expected to ask a lot of this big-ticket addition. A minor injury forced Heard to miss the spring game but UK expects him back at full strength this summer.

Tavion Gadson was one of the starters on last year’s team that was retained by the new staff. The former Florida State commit and Savannah (Ga.) Jenkins product was ranked as the No. 5 defensive tackle behind Ahmad Moten (Miami), A’Mauri Washington (Oregon), Will Echoles (Ole Miss), and David Stone (Oklahoma). Gadson had battled injuries through his first two seasons on campus before delivering a big year three. The former high three-star recruit recorded 28 tackles, four tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and 20 pressures on 345 snaps in 2025. This defensive tackle emerged as a real pass rush threat and figures to be a great fit in a more attacking Kentucky scheme in 2026.

The Cats have some star power in the trenches.