Four Kansas State football players invited to NFL Scouting Combine
Four former Kansas State football players enhanced their professional prospects Wednesday when they were among 319 potential draft picks invited to the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.
Defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah, cornerback Julius Brents, wide receiver Malik Knowles and running back Deuce Vaughn make up the largest group of Wildcats chosen for the combine since five attended in 2013. The event runs Feb. 28 through March 6 in Indianapolis, with the on-field workouts March 2-5 televised live on NFL Network.
The NFL Draft is scheduled for April 27-29 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Anudike-Uzomah, a 6-foot-4, 255-pound junior from Kansas City, Missouri, and Lee's Summit High School, is widely considered the top draft prospect of the four after deciding to forgo his senior year. As a junior in 2022, he was named Big 12 defensive player of the year to go with several All-America honors.
More:Kansas State football defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah to enter 2023 NFL draft
More:Kansas State football running back Deuce Vaughn declares for NFL draft
He left K-State tied for sixth in school history with 20.5 sacks in three years and fourth in career forced fumbles with eight. As a defensive leader this past season on K-State's 10-4 Big 12 championship team that played Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, Anudike-Uzomah recorded 46 tackles, 8.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss while frequently double teamed.
Brents, whose size (6-4, 202 pounds) and athleticism impressed scouts last week at the Senior Bowl, was a first-team all-Big 12 pick in 2022, his second season at K-State after transferring from Iowa. He ranked 22nd nationally and third in the Big 12 with four interceptions.
The dynamic Vaughn became just the second player in school history to receive back-to-back consensus All-America honors as an all-purpose back. Under-recruited out of high school at 5-foot-6, 176 pounds out of Cedar Ridge High School near Austin, Texas, he left K-State after three seasons as the school's second-leading rusher with 3,604 yards, trailing only former All-American Darren Sproles.
Vaughn also holds the school record for receptions (116) and receiving yards (1,280) by a running back.
Knowles, a senior from Mansfield, Texas, had his best season as a receiver in 2022 and was a standout kick returner throughout his K-State career. In 2022, he caught 48 passes for 725 yards with two touchdowns and ranks fifth in school history in all-purpose yards with 3,998.
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Four Kansas State football players invited to NFL Scouting Combine
