2022 NFL Draft Prospects To Watch: Missouri vs. Kentucky

A head-to-head matchup between two 2022 NFL Draft prospects highlights this early season SEC East showdown.

The Missouri Tigers will be playing against Kentucky in Lexington at 7:30 ET on Saturday night, with both schools gunning for their first SEC wins of the season. Missouri and Kentucky are both coming off of 5-win campaigns and they are likely competing for third place in the SEC East behind Georgia and Florida. While these teams admittedly aren’t the class of the SEC, they both have some 2022 NFL Draft prospects that are worth examining.

Kentucky OT Darian Kinnard

The first thing everyone mentions about the preseason All-American Kinnard is his size, as he stands 6’5” and weighs 345 pounds. The next thing most people mention is his athleticism. His vertical jump tested out at 28.5 during the recruiting cycle, which is incredible considering his stature.  He can move remarkably well for how big he is, flashing quickness out of his stance and using his whole frame to move defenders out of the way to clear running lanes. Pro Football Focus had Darian Kinnard graded out as the best returning run blocker at tackle in the entire country.

Kinnard has played a lot of right tackle for the Wildcats, though he was slated to move over to left tackle this season before the transfer of LSU OT Dare Rosenthal. While he’s an adequate pass blocker who showcases superior effort and hustle, he’ll have to improve some of his technical skills like his hand placement and use of angles against speed rushers if he hopes to come off the board in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Missouri DL Trajan Jeffcoat

Jeffcoat was tabbed a first team All-SEC defender in 2020 and was selected for the preseason All-SEC first team defense in the summer of 2021. A redshirt junior from Columbia, SC, Jeffcoat led the Tigers in sacks in 2020 with 6. He has an ideal frame for an edge rusher at 6’4” 276 pounds, and possesses the necessary explosiveness and speed to get after the quarterback consistently. In Missouri’s first game of 2021 against Central Michigan, Jeffcoat recorded a sack and a forced fumble, which could be a harbinger of things to come for him this year.

Trajan Jeffcoat has excelled against better competition, recording sacks against Alabama and Georgia last year, while providing some valuable pressures on the road against Florida. Jeffcoat has shown versatility in his time in Columbia, as he’s lined up on the left side and on the right side. In fact, it’s possible that we’ll get to see both of these 2022 NFL Draft prospects face off against each other when Jeffcoat lines up on the defense’s left and offense’s right side.

Though he normally lines up in a two-point stance, he occasionally puts his hand in the ground and lines up directly over the offensive tackle before the snap. While he’s shown he can defend the run and cover a little bit, improving those skills could go a long way to solidifying his status as an early-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.