Takeaways From Kentucky Football's Pro Day and Will Levis Showcase
Friday afternoon, Kentucky Football held its annual Pro Day to showcase the program’s top NFL draft prospects over at the team’s indoor training facility. This year, attendance was at an all-time high to see Will Levis make fifty scripted throws to try to improve his first-round draft status before May.
Also participating were Chris Rodriguez, Carrington Valentine, DeAndre Square, Tashawn Manning, Keidron Smith, Jordan Wright, Matt Ruffolo, Tyrell Ajian, and Colin Goodfellow, all with hopes of impressing the many NFL teams in attendance, including heavy presences from the Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans, among several other franchises.
The media turned out in droves, too–stars like Ian Rappaport, Jordan Rodgers, Todd McShay, Louis Riddick, and Stacey Dales; then a couple of rungs below them on the media ladder, KSR’s own Drew Franklin, Nick Roush, and Adam Luckett.
Their thoughts on the day are below…
Luckett: More proof the program is heading in the right direction
Friday’s Pro Day at the University of Kentucky was the most hyped pre-draft event for the football program in recent memory. It certainly lived up to that hype highlighted by a throwing workout for first-round prospect Will Levis.
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops was feeling good as he fielded questions from the media and the 11 participants mostly appeared to reach goals for the day. Chris Rodriguez Jr. logged a great 40-yard dash time, Keidron Smith had multiple NFL teams watching him closely, Carrington Valentine looked explosive, and DeAndre Square looked to be in great shape.
In a 50-throw workout, Levis showed off some of his immense arm talent but also missed on some throws. However, the quarterback hit on a lot of the splash plays on concepts that required vertical throws both on and off platform. That is ultimately why an NFL franchise will spend a high draft pick on him. The former Penn State transfer remains a tantalizing prospect due to his high upside.
Overall, it was an excellent day for the program with numerous NFL personnel in the building including three head coaches, four general managers, and scouts from all over the league. Kentucky may not have more than 4-5 draft picks in April, but this year’s edition of the pro day was the biggest one yet due to the allure of a potential franchise quarterback.
We had live hits on SportsCenter! More proof that this program is growing and heading in the right direction.
Franklin: Times have changed
To continue Luckett’s last point, the Pro Days of yesterday wouldn’t believe the spectacle Kentucky Football put on at this year’s Pro Day. Some of the old Pro Days looked like potluck lunches with little to no media attention on the players, most of whom had little to no shot at the NFL. There certainly weren’t SportsCenter drop-ins, Super Bowl ring-wearing head coaches, or enough people inside to need crowd control.
It’s exciting to see so much star power around Kentucky–obviously with Levis, but names from the recent past and the many to come.
Roush: Not the best setting for Jordan Wright
Few players have created as much havoc on the football field as Jordan Wright. What made him such a special player was his ability to do it in a variety of ways, whether he was making tackles for loss, forcing fumbles or picking off Anthony Richardson with one hand. That athletic versatility, and a solid extra 15 pounds of offseason muscle, made me believe he would crush combine testing. That wasn’t exactly the case. For the lack of a better term, he just looked stiff out there. These drills weren’t designed for everyone. Nevertheless, he’s clearly a gamer. Hopefully it doesn’t hurt his chances of making the league too much.
Franklin: Levis was worth the wait
Pro Day began at 10 a.m., but the main event didn’t occur until 1 p.m. when they finally cleared the field for Levis to throw the rock. Anticipation grew as Levis’ teammates ran through their drills, and by one o’clock, there was a buzz in the building as everyone awaited Levis’ grand entrance.
When he took the field, he did not disappoint. One throw even got batted down by the roof. Overall, Levis threw fifty scripted throws at the direction of his passing coach, Jordan Palmer, to former teammates like Chris Rodriguez, Barion Brown, Dane Key, and Tayvion Robinson.
Afterward, he took questions about his performance and path to the NFL draft:
Roush’s celebrity sightings
It’s always fun to rub elbows with some of the folks you typically only see on TV. Unfortunately for me, the extra attention Will Levis drew to the event prevented some of that elbow-rubbing from taking place. The media was separated from the rest of the national talking heads, parents, current and former players. However, that didn’t stop me from running into some big names. Mike Vrabel still looks like he could throw on pads and play today. I had no idea Ian Rapoport was 5-foot-nothing. Conversely, Todd McShay and Louis Riddick are big guys, and Riddick was kind enough to let me grab his ear for a little bit. It was also nice catching up with former Cats, whether it was small talk with Lynn Bowden or talking to Landon Young about his 10-month-old.
Franklin’s celebrity sightings
Since we are name-dropping, let’s get it out of the way–yes, I fanboyed over Mike Vrabel and new Titans GM Ran Carthon being in attendance. I did not go so far as to bug them while they were doing their jobs, but it was cool to see my two favorite football teams collide, with the Titans bringing several notable people to Kentucky’s facilities. I wore a Titans hat, hoping I could follow them back to Nashville unnoticed. It didn’t work.
Another sight one usually wouldn’t see in Lexington: Seattle head coach Pete Carroll was standing outside the ropes next to Deone Walker and several local TV reporters. It was a bizarre scene that made me do a double-take. Is that Pete Carroll with Keith Farmer?
Former Wildcat Champ Kelly was in town as a scout for the Oakland Raiders. Also from the AFC West, current Denver Bronco Devon Key attended to support his little brother, Dane, who caught passes for Levis and will have his own Pro Day soon.
Roush: Goodbye, Nutter Field House
It was a final swansong for this version of the Nutter Field House, Kentucky’s 30-year-old indoor facility. Mark Stoops has not been too shy to share his feelings about the facility, publicly imploring for changes. That is happening this summer. However, I held my breath when Dane Key caught one pass near the sideline and ran off onto the track.
The renovation has already begun in earnest with updated lighting. New windows will also benefit the lighting, while garage doors will be added to provide extra ventilation on hot summer days. The turf will be pulled up as soon as spring practice concludes and is expected to be completed around July 4.
KSR’s Rapid Reaction to UK’s Pro Day
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