WVU DB Kekoura Tarnue Begins NFL Journey with AFC Contender

Another former West Virginia Mountaineer will have a chance to make an impression in the NFL, as safety Kekoura Tarnue has accepted an invite to the Denver Broncos rookie minicamp.

Tarnue spent two years at West Virginia, playing one year for Neal Brown, Jordan Lesley, and Co. before Rich Rodriguez made his return to Morgantown. Getting acclimated with the new staff wasn't that much of a hurdle for him, if at all, considering he played for Rodriguez at Jacksonville State in 2023 after beginning his career at the junior college level.

Oddly enough, Tarnue was more productive during his first year in Morgantown, playing in a scheme he had to learn from scratch. He tallied 35 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a pass deflection in 13 games in 2024. He earned an overall grade of 65.0 by Pro Football Focus, while having a coverage grade of 61.8, a 75.7 in tackling, and 71.1 against the run.

This past season, he finished with 40 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, two passes defended, and a forced fumble, but wasn't quite as sharp. His overall grade dropped to 60.6; he had a 57.5 coverage grade and really struggled to finish plays, garnering a tackle grade of 50.0. His 13 missed tackles gave him a miss tackle rate of 22.8% — a full 12% jump from the previous year. A good chunk of that, however, came in the blowout loss to Texas Tech in the season finale. He missed six tackles in that one, resulting in a 27.4 tackle grade for the game.

Can he stick at the next level?

West Virginia University safety Kekoura Tarnue. | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

The one thing that will help Tarnue is that he has some positional flexibility. He's played both safety spots as well as corner. His coverage skills probably aren't strong enough to make it at corner, but he could play his way onto a practice squad with what he can do on special teams. Making it onto an active roster as a rookie is unlikely.

Other former Mountaineers who will participate in NFL rookie minicamps

DL Akheem Mesidor (transferred to Miami) - Los Angeles Chargers
LB Josiah Trotter (transferred to Missouri) - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
RB CJ Donaldson (transferred to Ohio State) - New Orleans Saints
WR Jeff Weimer - Kansas City Chiefs
DL Edward Vesterinen - Minnesota Vikings
LB Chase Wilson - New York Jets
LB Reid Carrico - Cleveland Browns
CB Michael Coats Jr. - Cleveland Browns

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