Dalton Keene Officially Inks Rookie Contract with the New England Patriots
The news was first reported by Field Yates of ESPN.
Keene is the ninth member of the New England Patriots draft class to be signed, leaving only Kyle Duggar, the Patriots' second-round selection, unsigned.
We outlined Keene's contract in a post during the weekend of the draft. While Keene's contract numbers have not been released, his draft slot is projected to pay him around $4.5 million over the course of four years, with an $832,000 signing bonus.
Keene's versatility is certainly a skillset that will be maximized in the Patriots offense, as he has the ability to line up all over the field and do a number of things well. While Keene is not the fastest athlete, he moves well for his size in the open field, and is a solid blocker.
Keene finished his Virginia Tech career with 59 receptions for 748 yards and eight touchdowns, operating as the offense's Swiss Army Knife for offensive coordinator Brad Cornelsen.
Keene will team up with UCLA tight end Devin Asiasi in the New England draft class, and the two rookies will enter the 2020-21 season with a strong chance to contribute to the Patriots' tight end room.
New England was one of the worst teams in the NFL last season in terms of tight end production, which is far from the norm of recent Patriots rosters. Bill Belichick hopes that the tandem of Asiasi and Keene will pay dividends for years to come.
