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Big 12 teams from the state of Kansas surprised the college football world last season. The Jayhawks made a Bowl appearance for the first time in 14 years. Meanwhile, the Wildcats won a close game against TCU in the Big 12 title game.
Expect both teams to improve on last year’s success on the field and in the NFL Draft.
Top NFL Draft prospects to keep an eye on at Kansas
The 2022 season marked a massive turnaround for the Kansas program. A team that was consistently the doormat in the Big 12 pulled several upsets then lost a thriller to Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl. Their success on the field will soon be felt in war rooms around the NFL.
The Jayhawks have a pair of seniors on the offensive line with draftable grades. Tackle Logan Brown transferred to Kansas from Wisconsin and is a nice combination of size (6-foot-6 and 320 pounds) and movement skills. He’s an old-school Badgers lineman who would work well in a power gap system.
Guard Dominick Puni is another power gap lineman who is strong and explosive. He’s a solid position blocker who blocks with terrific fundamentals and comes with NFL size.
Safety Kenny Logan Jr. was highly rated coming into 2022, but he had a disappointing campaign and made the right choice returning for another senior season. He’s an instinctive defensive back who plays heads-up football and shows decent range. Logan must be more consistent this season if he’s to be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Top NFL Draft prospects at Kansas State entering 2023 CFB season
For just the second time in 20 years, Kansas State had a player selected in the first round when the Kansas City Chiefs made Felix Anudike-Uzomah the final pick of the frame. And while they don’t have any first-round prospects on the depth chart, the Wildcats will probably have more players drafted in 2024 than this past April.
K-State has three offensive linemen with draftable grades, starting with Cooper Beebe. The senior guard is absolutely dominant in all areas of the position, blocking with terrific fundamentals and a nasty attitude. He comes with an NFL build and shows great power as a run blocker. Beebe is a bit stiff in motion and better in confined quarters, but when I watch Beebe on film I’m reminded of Steve Avila, the 36th pick of April’s draft.
Right tackle Christian Duffie really stood out to me on film, though I project him to guard. Duffie is a quick, agile position blocker who gets leverage on defenders and seals them from plays. He’s not a mauler and needs to improve his blocking strength, but that should come.
KT Leveston is the team’s left tackle and another K-State lineman I project to guard. He also blocks with proper fundamentals and easily moves around the field, but he lacks great lateral range, which is why I project him inside.
Ben Sinnott is an underrated tight end with a large upside. He’s an athletic 6-foot-4, 245 pounds with enough speed to split the seam. Sinnott catches the ball extremely well and presents himself as a downfield threat at the position. He’s not a poor blocker, though blocking is not his forte. Sinnott is a move tight end who could eventually sneak into the late part of the draft’s second day.
Linebacker Daniel Green is a nice-sized defender who goes sideline to sideline and makes a lot of plays in pursuit. Instinctive, he does a terrific job quarterbacking the defense. I’m told Green will light up predraft workouts and test incredibly well, which will only help his draft stock.
