Football
Nineteen Wildcats Set for NFL’s Opening Weekend

Nineteen Wildcats Set for NFL’s Opening Weekend

by UK ACPR

Nineteen Kentucky players are on National Football League active rosters for #Kickoff2022 opening weekend. The most Wildcats are on NFL rosters since 21 were featured during the 1987 season.

Team captains also have been announced for many of the teams and former All-American and National Defensive Player of the Year, Josh Allen, was voted by his peers as one of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ seven team captains.

Several Wildcats play Sunday but the NFL’s first Sunday night primetime game of 2022 will feature former Wildcat safety Mike Edwards of the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers against two former UK defensive players and current Dallas Cowboys in defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna and cornerback Kelvin Joseph. The game will kick off from AT&T Stadium at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.

Six other Wildcats are with NFL teams as members of an organization’s practice squad: WR Josh Ali (Atlanta), S Yusuf Corker (Cincinnati), WR Lynn Bowden Jr. (Patriots), DB Quandre Mosely (Seahawks), TE Justin Rigg (Pittsburgh) and OL Jon Toth (Washington).

Kentucky had four NFL Draft picks in the 2022 NFL Draft and each made 53-man rosters – wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson (2nd, New York Giants), defensive end Josh Paschal (2nd, Detroit), offensive lineman Luke Fortner (3rd, Jacksonville) and offensive lineman Darian Kinnard (5th, Kansas City).

List of the Wildcats in the NFL and their years at Kentucky:

Carolina Panthers

Phil Hoskins, DT (2017-18, 2020)

Marquan McCall, DT (2018-21)

Dallas Cowboys

Quinton Bohanna, NT (2017-20)

Kelvin Joseph, CB (2020)

Detroit Lions

Josh Paschal, DE (2017-21)

Logan Stenberg, OG (2016-19)

Green Bay Packers

Randall Cobb, WR (2008-10)

Jacksonville Jaguars

Josh Allen, DE/LB (2015-18)

Luke Fortner, C (2017-21)

Kansas City Chiefs

Darian Kinnard, OL (2018-21)

Minnesota Vikings

Za’Darius Smith, OLB (2013-14)

New Orleans Saints

Landon Young, OT (2016-17, 19-20)

New York Giants

Wan’Dale Robinson, WR (2021)

New York Jets

Brandin Echols, CB (2019-20)

Pittsburgh Steelers

Benny Snell Jr., RB (2016-18)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Mike Edwards, S (2015-2018)

Tennessee Titans

Bud Dupree, OLB (2011-14)

Lonnie Johnson Jr., CB (2017-18)

Washington Football Team

Jamin Davis, ILB (2018-20)

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