Three Former Wildcats Find NFL Homes After Going Undrafted
Kentucky saw three of its former players get selected in the 2023 NFL draft, as quarterback Will Levis, running back Chris Rodriguez and cornerback Carrington Valentine all heard their names called.
After three days and over 250 picks, plenty of names were left on the board when all was said on done on Saturday evening. What follows as the final rounds trickle down is an onslaught of every team mingling with the top undrafted names around as they offer deals and send out invites to camps.
A trio of former Kentucky Wildcats have since inked deals, looking to begin their professional careers. Linebacker DeAndre Square is reportedly headed to the Los Angeles Rams and offensive lineman Tashawn Manning to the Baltimore Ravens on undrafted deals, while linebacker Jacquez Jones is headed to the Atlanta Falcons with a minicamp invite.
Manning's free-agent contract with Ravens comes with a $20,000 signing bonus and a $20,000 base salary guarantee. He played in 42 career games with 26 starts in five seasons at Auburn and one at Kentucky, transferring to Lexington for his final season in 2022.
A five-year letterwinner and four-year starter for the Wildcats, Square played in 58 career games with 44 straight starting assignments. He managed 302 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 15 quarterback hurries, seven pass breakups, three forced fumbles, three interceptions and one fumble recovery and became just the 20th member of UK’s 300-tackle club.
Jones finished his collegiate career playing in 52 career games played with 38 starting assignments, totaling 305 career tackles (182 at Ole Miss and 123 at UK) along with 17.5 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, six pass breakups, four forced fumbles, two interceptions and one fumble recovery. He transferred to Kentucky after playing in 33 career games with 19 starts at Ole Miss and proceeded to start in all 19 games played in his two seasons at Kentucky.
All three served as integral pieces of Kentucky's 2022 roster and will now look to make an impact at the next level, joining Levis, Rodriguez and Valentine.
Observations from Kentucky's final open spring practice HERE.
Safety Zion Childress is emerging as a leader on the UK defense
Kentucky landed a 4-star defensive lineman on National Signing Day. More HERE.
WATCH: Kentucky football's transfer portal signees speak to the media
Devin Leary discusses his decision to transfer to Kentucky HERE.
Ray Davis isn't following former Kentucky RB's footsteps. More HERE.
Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.
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