Replacing Dupree and Smith a challenge for Kentucky

Kentucky's Alvin Dupree moves in for a tackle against Missouri in this file photo.
Kentucky's Alvin Dupree moves in for a tackle against Missouri in this file photo.

Heading into Thursday's NBA draft, the Kentucky Wildcats have produced 10 first-round selections in the past five years.

They have not provided a similar pipeline to the NFL.

Kentucky had just two first-round football selections in 30 years - quarterback Tim Couch in 1999 and defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson in 2003 - until defensive end Alvin "Bud" Dupree was selected 22nd overall in April by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dupree's selection gave third-year Kentucky coach Mark Stoops something positive to discuss in building his program, but there is also the negative of finding a successor to the 6-foot-4, 264-pounder who tallied 74 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks last season.

"It's very difficult to replace a guy like Bud Dupree," Stoops said on a recent conference call. "He was a very good, experienced player for us and very instinctual, and obviously a first-round draft pick for us is hard to replace right away. We'll have to do that by committee and get some guys going quite a bit."

The Wildcats went from 2-10 in 2013 to 5-7 a year ago, but they were 5-1 following a 48-14 thumping of Louisiana-Monroe. The back half of last season contained losses to LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Georgia, Tennessee and Louisville, with the opponents averaging 43.8 points in those six contests.

Kentucky yielded an average of 52.3 points in its final three games, and that was with Dupree and fellow end Za'Darius Smith, a fourth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens. The 6-4, 274-pound Smith had 61 tackles and 4.5 sacks, but Stoops is not sounding a gloom-and-doom alarm following their departures.

"Overall, I'm pleased with where we're headed defensively," he said. "We've transitioned from a 4-3 to a 3-4 over the last year and a half, and as we've settled down and gotten experience within that system, we're more and more comfortable. We're a deeper unit and we're more experienced, and I think we're getting better in the secondary.

"We still need to improve at the corner position, but I think through the middle of our defense that we're getting better."

Stoops pointed to tackles Melvin Lewis and Cory Johnson and end Farrington Huguenin as potential leaders of this year's defensive front. He said Denzil Ware, who redshirted last season after signing out of Crestview, Fla., could provide the most production off the edge.

The biggest offensive storyline in August camp will be the quarterback battle between redshirt junior Patrick Towles and redshirt freshman Drew Barker. Former Signal Mountain standout and current redshirt sophomore Reese Phillips is having to play catch-up after rupturing his Achilles' tendon in early March.

Kentucky has endured five straight losing seasons, easily the longest stretch in the SEC. Vanderbilt had a losing record last year after consecutive 9-4 seasons, and the 12 other league teams posted winning marks in 2014.

"I felt like our spring practice was the most consistent we've been over a period of time," Stoops said. "These are exciting times around Kentucky. Our stadium is under construction and on target to be ready for the home opener, and our new football building under construction will be a year away or so.

"Good things are happening, and we're excited about the future."

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

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