Kentucky’s 2014 pass rush is on its way to the NFL.

The Cats began their spring practice season earlier this month without graduated seniors Bud Dupree and Za’Darius Smith, who led the team in sacks the last two years but are now preparing for the 2015 NFL Draft this spring.

Dupree began and ended the 2014 season as the SEC’s active leader in career sacks, and after dazzling NFL scouts and executives at last month’s combine, he may be a top 10 pick this spring.

Smith was a junior college transfer who arrived at Kentucky in 2013 and made an immediate impact opposite Dupree. Just as Bud was reaching his collegiate prime, Smith added a pass rushing threat on the other side of the line, and few opposing offenses could contain both ends on a down-by-down basis.

The two combined for 12 of the team’s 27 sacks last season. That’s nearly half the team’s sacks coming from just two players who fought through frequent double teams to create that pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

But Dupree and Smith will combine for a whopping zero sacks in 2015, at least at the collegiate level, which is going to hurt Kentucky more than it’ll hurt Dupree, Smith or their respective bank accounts.

The Cats now must find new players to insert along the defensive line and new ways to generate pressure up front when opponents have the ball. This spring will serve as the initial stages in that transition.

One thing that may ease the minds of Cats’ fans is knowing this team has the talent on the roster to compensate for their departing defensive ends.

The player many expect to lead the Wildcats’ new pass rush is Jason Hatcher, the former No. 3 defensive end on the depth chart and the first man behind Dupree and Smith the last two years.

In backing up the superstar ends during his freshman and sophomore seasons, Hatcher still managed 3.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. His play was so good in training camp last summer that head coach Mark Stoops even worked out a lineup that involved Dupree moving to an outside linebacker spot to make room for he, Smith and Hatcher on the field all at once.

Clearly, if the coaches have enough faith in Hatcher that they’d move their best player out of position (Dupree handled the move with ease) just to get him on the field, the dude must be good. And believe me, he is.

Stoops lured him to the Bluegrass as a four-star recruit and one of the top 10 defensive ends in the class of 2013. At 6-foot-3 and just below 250 pounds, Hatcher is long and quick, has a great burst off the line at the snap of the ball, and is growing savvier every day as he learns new pass-rushing moves.

But while Hatcher appears to be next in line to lead the UK pass rush, he can’t do it alone. Unfortunately, most of Kentucky’s remaining defensive line depth lies at the defensive tackle position, where players like Melvin Lewis, C.J. Johnson, Regie Meant and Matt Elam all serve as dangerous pass rushing threats up the middle.

Johnson finished third on the team a year ago with 2.5 sacks. Meant finished fifth with 2.0, and Lewis added a half-sack of his own while maintaining a starting role most of the season. All three are powerful defensive tackles, but at the same time are more athletic than most other defensive tackles in the conference, with the exception of the few elite, established players at the position.

Elam was shut out on the sacks scoreboard as a true freshman last season while working his way into game shape in the SEC. If he’s in better shape this year come the fall, he, too, can collapse pockets and benefit the pass rush despite being better known for his run-stopping abilities.

What Kentucky truly needs to open up its pass rush is a second proven defensive end opposite Hatcher. However, the most experienced options have still achieved close to nothing on the pass-rushing front throughout their careers. Farrington Huguenin is entering his senior season and has yet to record a single sack for his career. Redshirt junior Jabari Johnson has never logged a sack for the Cats either.

One potential X-factor in Kentucky’s front four could be redshirt freshman defensive end Denzil Ware, a four-star prospect from the 2014 recruiting class who is set to make his on-field debut this fall. He used his redshirt season last year to bulk up from 220 to 250 pounds, and with his 6-foot-2 frame and added power he has the makings of UK’s next big time pass rusher.

Ware has an excellent first step and is aggressive at the point of attack. He’s quick around the edge and is still picking up new moves as an underclassmen with tremendous upside.

One of those three players — Huguenin, Johnson or Ware — must step up this fall to enhance the pass rush. In fact, Kentucky could really use all three this season for the sake of depth at the position, allowing the Cats to match their depth at the defensive tackle position.

There’s no replacing Dupree or Smith, this we know for certain. But the Cats must go on without them. Rest assured, Big Blue Nation, they’ll be just fine.