All-American Kam Kinchens, talented James Williams, Leonard Taylor III lead Hurricanes prospective NFL draft picks
The Hurricanes have 11 players eligible for this week's NFL draft, including All-American Kam Kinchens and talented players like James Williams, Leonard Taylor III, Matt Lee and Javion Cohen.
CORAL GABLES — An NFL talent evaluator asked prospective Miami Hurricanes draftee James Williams who was better: him or fellow UM safety Kam Kinchens?
Williams went with a thoughtful answer: “Kam is a better safety. I’m a better football player.”
The two Hurricanes defensive backs are the headliners in a group of 11 Miami players who are hoping to hear their names called during the NFL draft, which starts Thursday night and runs through Saturday.
Kinchens, for his part, agreed with Williams’ assessment.
“At 6-5, 230, he can play a lot of players,” Kinchens said. “I think he’s got me at quarterback, tight end, the whole O-line, the whole D-line, probably a little at (linebacker). But every other position, I think I can hold my own. … He can have the football player. I’ll take the defensive back.”
Kinchens is likely to be the first UM player off the board. The 2022 All-American is projected to be a third-round pick by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler. Brugler lists Kinchens as the No. 5 safety in the class, while ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. lists him seventh.
The former UM safety, a Miami Northwestern alum, racked up 162 tackles with 11 interceptions during his Miami tenure.
Williams is also expected to be picked in the middle or late rounds of the draft. Brugler lists him as the No. 18 linebacker, slotting him in the sixth or seventh round. Williams, a five-star safety out of American Heritage in Plantation, has primarily played safety since high school, but talent evaluators have long considered him a potential standout linebacker. He played both positions last season.
“My role in the defense was a linebacker, so I basically was a linebacker,” Williams said at UM’s pro day in March. “I did things that linebackers can do, so I feel like I fit well in any system. I showed my talent at the Reese’s (Senior) Bowl that I can play linebacker.”
Another Hurricanes defensive player likely to get picked this week is defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III. A five-star prospect out of Miami Palmetto, Taylor came to Miami with a lot of promise.
He showed flashes of his talent and racked up 64 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. Brugler puts Taylor as the No. 13 defensive tackle on the board and expects him to go in the fourth or fifth round.
Two players who lined up opposite Taylor during Miami practices will also likely hear their names called this week: center Matt Lee and offensive guard Javion Cohen.
Both linemen played only one season with the Hurricanes. Lee transferred from UCF, and Cohen transferred from Alabama. But they were both crucial members of Miami’s offensive line last year.
Lee, who Brugler ranks as the No. 9 center in the draft and lists as a likely fifth or sixth-round pick, played 12 games and had a 79.0 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus. Lee praised offensive line coach Alex Mirabal for helping him develop as a player in his one season at UM.
“He’s the best,” Lee said. “Got to be the best coach I’ve ever been around. Just from everything, on the field, off the field, how he treats the meeting room, how he treats practice, how he treats working out, how he treats drills in the offseason.”
Cohen also played in all 12 regular-season games and had a 59.4 offensive grade. Brugler lists him as the No. 16 guard and a likely fifth or sixth-round pick.
Cohen said his one season at Miami makes him believe that UM is a great place for players.
“You’re going to be coached hard, you’re going to be loved up even harder,” Cohen said. “You’re going to want to play down here on Greentree. You’re going to want to be a Miami Hurricane before it’s all said and done.”
The Hurricanes have several other players eligible for the draft who may not be picked this week. They include wide receiver Tyler Harrell, defensive lineman Branson Deen, linebackers Keontra Smith and K.J. Cloyd and cornerbacks Te’Cory Couch and Jaden Davis. If they do not get selected in the draft, they will try to make it on an NFL roster as an undrafted free agent.
“It’s going the same for most of (the draft-eligible players),” Deen said. “We’re really high-level athletes. We’ve got a bunch of talent here.”