Senior Bowl will present great opportunity for three Wildcats

The Reese’s Senior Bowl is quickly approaching. On Feb. 5 in Mobile, Alabama, two rosters with 55 players each meet for the pre-draft practice highlighted by an exhibition game at the end of the week. The showcase event serves as a major part of the draft season.

On Tuesday, the Senior Bowl held a Roster Reveal Special on NFL Network and announced North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell as the newest addition to the event. There are only a few rosters set as we are now just a month away from the draft season getting ramped up.

For the University of Kentucky, three Wildcats will have a chance to make a big splash at the event as players from everywhere looking to solidify their draft stock.

Inside or outside for Darian Kinnard

The right tackle out of Cleveland St. Ignatius still needs to announce his decision, but the expectation is that the former four-star recruit will now take his game to the next level after four years in Lexington.

At Kentucky, Darian Kinnard has started 26 consecutive games and was named a consensus All-American in 2021. The 345-pounder has been one of the best offensive tackles in football over the last two seasons.

Yet, his position at the next level feels uncertain.

Nearly every team in the National Football League will likely have at least an early second round grade on Kinnard. However, stretches are made at tackle and not at guard. If Kinnard is to go in the first round, it will have to be at right tackle.

The return to Kentucky changed a bit when the Wildcats added Dare Rosenthal and no longer needed Kinnard to play left tackle. Meanwhile, Kentucky did not switch to a primary outside zone running attack under new offensive coordinator Liam Coen. Instead, the Wildcats leaned into more gap scheme runs that require double teams at the point of attack and movement on the line of scrimmage.

If Kinnard is going to be seen as a tackle, we’ll know at the Senior Bowl. Kingsley Enagbare (South Carolina), Jermaine Johnson (Florida State), Myjai Sanders (Cincinnati), and Cameron Thomas (San Diego State) are all EDGE players with top-100 pick value. If Kinnard can hold his own in pass protection, his primary position could move from guard to tackle.

If considered a true right tackle, Kinnard could give Kentucky consecutive draft picks in the first round.

Showcase moment for Josh Paschal

Kentucky was without Josh Paschal at the Citrus Bowl after the redshirt senior suffered an injury in the season finale win over Louisville. However, the DMV native was playing at an extremely high level before that.

The former four-star recruit finished the season with 15 tackles for loss and was Kentucky’s most dominant player all season. The performance against Florida is one scouts are sure to fall in love with.

FG BLOCK TD 🔥

78-yard house call for Trevin Wallace!

(📍 @NavyFederal) pic.twitter.com/HN99zmmnMw

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) October 3, 2021

Health is a major concern for Paschal as there could be a lot to show NFL folks at the Senior Bowl practices. The 278-pound 3-4 defensive end has two-gap ability in the run game and twitchiness to use on stunts and as an interior rusher. With 13 sacks and 22.5 non-sack tackles for loss in his career, there is playmaking that Paschal can provide at the next level.

The playmaking could not be enough for some teams as Paschal may not be considered a fit for four-down defenses that need more length at defensive end. However, the NFL prospect would seem to thrive in three-down structures and could boost his stock if able to show that disruption against a talented group of tackles at the Senior Bowl.

Steady Yusuf Corker

Perhaps the most forgotten man on Kentucky’s defense was redshirt senior safety Yusuf Corker.

The former four-star recruit out of Metro Atlanta became a three-year starter for Brad White’s defense in the secondary who recorded over 70 tackles in each season. Corker did not have a ton of ball production throughout his career, but was always in the right spot and comes off as a very intelligent football player.

During practice reports at the Senior Bowl, don’t expect Corker’s name to come up a bunch. However, the face-to-face interaction he’ll get with NFL coaches at the event will go a long way. Franchises should fall in love with redshirt senior’s makeup and knowledge of the game.

Corker will have a chance to make his move in March at the NFL Combine. Testing will be key for the safety, and if he puts up some strong athletic numbers, the defensive back could climb into third or fourth round territory.

KSR Scouting Notebook

• If your NFL team needs a quarterback, this is not the year to find one. Things are very thin at the sport’s most important position, and that holds true with the Senior Bowl. Howell, Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh), and Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati) will be the stars of this event, but overall it’s hard to get excited about this group.
• Look for James Cook (Georgia) to have a big week when practice time arrives next month. The South Florida product has extreme third down pass-catching value but is being slept on as a runner. Cook has strong efficiency numbers and can have success in multiple schemes. For my money, Dalvin’s brother is the best tailback in this class.
• Speaking of down years, this is also not a great year to get a wide receiver after a loaded draft over the last two seasons. There’s no true WR1, and the Senior Bowl crop is not great. That could mean good things for Wan’Dale Robinson.
• With the evolution of spread offenses, defenses need versatile defenders who can play multiple positions. JoJo Domann (Nebraska) is a guy that has a ton of value. At 230 pounds, the Colorado Springs (Colo.) Pine Creek product has enough size to play in the box as an off-ball linebacker but can also split out. Domann thrives playing in space with excellent coverage ability as a nickel defender. His versatility should get a ton of people excited at the Senior Bowl.
• Chad Muma (Wyoming) might end up being the best player at the event and could turn into a first round draft pick once the combine rolls around. Remember the name.