Two Stanford players mentioned among top NFL prospects in college football

Will these two be the next Cardinal taken in the first round?

Many experts and databases around the country are calling for Stanford to have yet another losing season in this upcoming college football season. 

However, they do have a couple players that are viewed as top talents at the college level that not only have a chance to rewrite the wrongs of the past few seasons, but also carve out a spot for themselves in the early rounds of next year's NFL Draft.

Fox Sports' Rob Rang recently published his Top 20 NFL prospects in college football, and defensive back Kyu Blue Kelly and Tanner McKee were both mentioned. 

Starting with Kelly, he was ranked as the No. 19 prospect thanks to his strong performance last season specifically against first round pick and former USC Trojan Drake London. Here is what Rang had to say about Kelly:

For the past several years, locating the top cornerback in the pass-happy Pac-12 was as simple as checking the Washington depth chart, but Kelly looks poised to steal the crown in 2022. He’s entering his fourth season as a starter, having earned all-conference recognition each of the past two years, including after he led the league with 12 passes defensed (10 breakups, two interceptions) last season.

Kelly really made a name for himself in a one-on-one showdown against first-round pick Drake London and USC a year ago, helping spark an upset over the Trojans with a career-high four pass breakups, including an interception that he returned 31 yards for a touchdown.

Kelly has been receiving a ton of national attention this offseason as he was also named to Athlon Sports' first team All-Pac-12. 

McKee on the other hand was included as a part of the 10 players who just missed the cut, meaning he's a borderline top 20 prospect. This seems fair for a player who only has one season under his belt, and it was a very hot and cold type of year for him. He does have the intangibles of an NFL quarterback, but needs to make better decisions and not try to force things. It also hurts him that he is not the most mobile quarterback. 

Both Kelly and McKee are looking to become the first Cardinal taken in the first round of the NFL Draft since 2017 when running back Christian McCaffrey and defensive linemen Solomon Thomas were both drafted in the first.