These 5 Kansas football players could hear their names called in next year’s NFL draft

LAWRENCE — Kansas football saw Dominick Puni and Austin Booker both selected in April in the 2024 NFL draft.

Puni, an offensive lineman, went in the third round to the San Francisco 49ers. Booker, a defensive lineman, went in the fifth round to the Chicago Bears. And they set themselves up to experience something so rewarding after stellar play in their last season in college in 2023.

But which Jayhawks could experience the same next year? Which athletes could add their names to the list of guys who’ve played at KU who’ve been drafted? And could there be even more than there were this year?

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Here’s a list of five Kansas players to keep an eye on:

Jalon Daniels (Quarterback)

Jalon Daniels, a redshirt junior, has played a key role in head coach Lance Leipold’s rebuild in Lawrence. He’s a dual-threat talent who’s set to start again for Kansas in 2024. The main question here, is if he can stay healthy.

Daniels has routinely dealt with injury in recent seasons. He missed a stretch of games in the middle of the 2022 season, and most of the games in 2023. Proving he can remain available through a full season, and continue to enjoy the success he is capable of, might be enough to push him to the start of his professional career.

Devin Neal (Running back)

The hometown face of Leipold’s rebuild, Devin Neal has been a weapon all throughout his Kansas career. A senior running back, he’s led the Jayhawks in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns each of his first three years. Odds are he’ll do the same in 2024.

Neal could have turned pro after the 2023 season, and seriously considered doing so, but elected to return to college for one more year. What opportunities he would have had in the NFL are unclear, but he certainly would have ended up on a roster in some way, shape or form. For now, he’ll continue to make the case for being one of the best Kansas running backs of all time.

Cobee Bryant (Cornerback)

Cobee Bryant has been one of the best cornerbacks in the Big 12 Conference and might have been able to get a start on his professional career as well. But Bryant, a senior, also decided to come back. He helps provide Kansas with a formidable group of defensive backs.

Bryant has a big-play ability that’s shown up time and again. He’s a threat game in and game out to force turnovers. It’ll be interesting to follow how many takeaways he can add to his career total.

Mello Dotson (Cornerback)

Mello Dotson is another talented cornerback for the Jayhawks. Dotson, another senior, has been relied upon heavily across his entire college career. His development during his time at Kansas is part of why the team has been able to make bowl games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in more than a decade.

There’s a lot of talent in the cornerbacks room in Lawrence. There’ll be a lot of competition for playing time. Dotson, like Bryant, is still a leading man.

Quentin Skinner (Wide receiver)

There’s a trio of wide receivers at Kansas who are pretty well known, and Quentin Skinner is one of those three. A senior, he’s been one of the Jayhawks’ leading targets in the passing game in recent seasons. His combination of size and speed could make him an intriguing pickup for a NFL organization.

With a new offensive coordinator in Lawrence, it’ll be interesting to see if there will be any new wrinkles that could further unlock aspects of Skinner’s game. There are varying skillsets in the wide receivers room, which includes the likes of seniors Luke Grimm and Lawrence Arnold. Those are two more names to think about, too.

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @JordanGuskey.