Lawrence Keys III Must Be A Centerpiece For Notre Dame
Chase Claypool is not the only wide receiver that must be replaced by Notre Dame in 2020. The Irish must also replace Chris Finke, who hauled in 90 passes for 1,027 yards and six touchdowns - mostly out of the slot - the last two seasons.
Arguably the leading candidate to fill that role is rising junior Lawrence Keys III. The New Orleans native hauled in 13 passes for 134 yards last season, with over half of that production coming in the first three games while position mates Michael Young and Braden Lenzy were out, which forced Finke outside.
With Finke and Young now both gone, Keys should have every opportunity to develop into an every down player. Keys isn’t an overly imposing player, listed at 5-10 1/2 and 173 pounds, but he has an impressive skill set. In fact, Keys has the tools to not only replace the production that Finke brought to the offense, but to exceed it, and provide an even greater impact on the offense.
ATHLETIC TALENT IMPRESS
Keys might not have ideal size, but his athletic traits are impressive. His combination of speed and quickness stood out on his high school film and they stood out from the moment he arrived at Notre Dame. Keys has been timed in the 4.4s during his tenure with the Irish, and he’s likely to get a bit faster and more explosive as he physically matures and spends more time in the Irish strength program.
Keys is a competitive player and a willing blocker, something that has always impressed me. One thing holding him back, however, is a lack of strength. As Keys gains more weight room strength, to go with his toughness, he’ll have a chance to make big strides as a player.
DIFFERENT SKILL SET
Keys brings a different skillset to the game than Finke. The rising junior can do all the things Finke did and he possesses an impressive football IQ, but from a tools standpoint he has the potential to add even more to the position.
Keys has more natural vertical speed than Finke, which makes him a more dangerous vertical player if used properly. That speed also makes him more dangerous on horizontal routes like crossers, drags and in/out breaking routes. Keys has outstanding foot quickness, and he’s always shown an impressive feel for route running for his age. Those traits combine to give him the potential to gain more separation on routes than what we saw from Finke.
Keys has a bit more after-the-catch wiggle than Finke, at least compared to what Finke showed on offense. He also has stronger hands and better body control on downfield routes than what I saw from Finke.
When you add all of those traits up there should be some excitement about what Keys can do within the Notre Dame offense.
BUILD AROUND HIM
The question is will Keys be able to force himself onto the field, and will the staff do a better job building around the skills of more players. One issue for Notre Dame the last decade is the pass game has been largely built around one or two players, with everyone else serving as complementary players.
In 2020 the Irish have a unique situation on offense, as they have a deeper group of players and a far more diverse skillset at the position. First-year offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and the rest of the offensive staff need to do a better job than past staffs of building around that diverse skillset.
Keys is one of those players. The staff needs to take advantage of his receiver traits. He can stretch the field vertically and horizontally, he can get separation as a route runner and he can do damage after the catch.
Is Keys the kind of player that you build the offense around the same way you might a Will Fuller, Claypool or Michael Floyd? No, but he is the kind of talent where each week the staff should look to find ways to put him in matchups that he can exploit and focus on making sure he’s a key part of the offense.
Not only would that result in Keys being productive, but getting a player with his skillset involved from the slot makes it much harder for defenses to handle him and tight end Tommy Tremble over the middle and players like Lenzy, Javon McKinley and Kevin Austin on the outside.
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