2027 NFL Draft Watch: Kentucky Wildcats

All Access Football examines the top 2027 draft-eligible prospects from the Kentucky Wildcats.

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2027 NFL DRAFT TRACKER: KENTUCKY WILDCATS

Location: Lexington, KY || Conference: SEC || Head Coach: Mark Stoops (13 Years: 72-80) || NFL Draft Picks Under Stoops: 34 (2.6 per year) || First Round Picks Under Stoops: 4 || Number of 2026 NFL Draft Picks: 4 || Wildcats in NFL: 29 (as of 5/12/26)

The Wildcats finished with a losing record and failed to qualify for a bowl game for the second straight season in 2025. Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops enters the year on the hot seat, as he hit the transfer portal hard on offense in an attempt to re-tool. The school saw four players chosen in the 2026 NFL Draft but none prior to Day 3. During the 2025 NFL Draft, the program produced its fourth first round pick under Stoops in cornerback Maxwell Hairston (Bills).

With potentially eight new starters coming from the portal on offense, it’s no surprise that a transfer tops our list of Kentucky prospects. New big-bodied left tackle Lance Heard is certainly battle-tested with 35 career games played under his belt (24 starts), as he joins his third SEC program in four years. He will pave the way for running back CJ Baxter who joins the team from Texas and was one of the top recruits in the land but ran into some injury woes during his time with the Longhorns.

On defense, the lone transfer expected to have an impact is 350-pound nose tackle Jamarrion Harkless, an absolute space-eater able to absorb multiple bodies up front. In terms of total draft selections, the high-water mark during the 13 seasons under Stoops came in 2021, when they had six players selected. While this year’s crop is unlikely to exceed that number, they could come close.

Below we have provided a list of the top ten Kentucky Wildcats prospects entering the 2026 campaign. Be sure to bookmark this page and check back periodically for expanded rankings and scouting reports to be included throughout the year.

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PLAYER | POS | YEAR | # | HEIGHT | WEIGHT | FORTY | HOMETOWN

1. Lance Heard, OT, Sr, #53, 6052, 330, 5.23e, Bonita, LA