Kentucky football star Lynn Bowden enters NFL draft, but first — Belk Bowl
Jon HaleLEXINGTON - Kentucky football star Lynn Bowden is entering the NFL draft.
The wide receiver turned quarterback announced in a video posted to Twitter Monday he will forgo his senior season to start his professional career. First, he will play in the Wildcats' Dec. 31 Belk Bowl appearance versus Virginia Tech.
Bowden ranks second in the nation in yards per carry (8.2) and third in the Southeastern Conference in total rushing yards (1,235) this season despite playing most of the first five games as a wide receiver. He was named first-team All-Southeastern Conference as an all-purpose player by the Associated Press Monday.
The Youngstown, Ohio, native saved Kentucky's season when he moved from receiver to quarterback full time after injuries sidelined UK's preseason No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 quarterbacks. In seven games behind center, Bowden ran for 1,136 yards and threw for 330.
The 6-foot-1, 199-pound Bowden is expected to move back to wide receiver as a professional and could also help teams as a kick and punt returner. It is unclear how spending most of the season at quarterback has affected his NFL draft stock.
“I think if it was up to NFL teams he would have stayed at receiver because it would have helped them do their job and better understand where he is in his development as a route-runner, as a pass-catcher and all of those things,” Dane Brugler, an NFL draft analyst for The Athletic, recently told The Courier Journal. “Because he played most of the season as a non-receiver it just takes more of a leap of faith, because we’re not going to get a chance to see him in game-like situations playing the position that he’s projected to play in the NFL.”
More:A move to quarterback made Lynn Bowden a UK legend, but it complicates his NFL draft stock
ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. mentioned Bowden as a dark horse candidate to be picked in the first round before the season, but Bowden was unable to show scouts how much progress he had made as a receiver due to the position switch.
Before moving to quarterback, Bowden was Kentucky's most effective receiver — he still leads the team in catches (30) and receiving yards (348) — but he endured an inconsistent start to the season with several high-profile drops.
Bowden likely could have used the year to perfect his route running and pass-catching skills, but he offered NFL teams interested in drafting him no shortage of examples of his play-making ability while playing quarterback.
Six times he rushed for at least 100 yards in a game. Three times he was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week. In the regular season finale rout of Louisville, he ran for 284 yards, most ever by a Southeastern Conference quarterback in a single game, and scored four touchdowns, tied for most by any Kentucky player in one game.
"The kid is a dynamic football player," said Vince Marrow, Kentucky’s tight ends coach and NFL liaison. "I tell all the scouts and GMs, ‘Don’t overthink this. .... He's a football player. He's going to make your team better.'"
The decision to start his professional career is the latest step in a long journey to stardom for Bowden, who has said in interviews he was headed down a dangerous path away from the football field as a teenager in Youngstown.
Bowden frequently points to his young son, Lynn Bowden III, as his motivation in his growth on and off the field at Kentucky. In his message announcing his decision, Bowden thanked his son, his mother and UK coaches for helping him grow as a person and football player. He called Kentucky his "forever home."
More: Lynn Bowden is the face of UK football in more ways than one
"It won’t be easy to leave that, but now is my time to enter the 2020 NFL draft," Bowden said. "The memories we made here are something special, from the 10-win season last year to going back to my old position this year. I’ll be taking those memories with me wherever I go next.
"But first we’ve got one more game to win. For my last game in Kentucky blue, I need all the BBN to come out and support us and help us get this bowl game win. Come see about it in Charlotte."
Jon Hale:jahale@courier-journal.com; Twitter:@JonHale_CJ. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today:www.courier-journal.com/jonh.