The Kansas City Chiefs Should Be Patient With Rookie Cornerback BoPete Keyes
As the old saying goes, patience is a virtue. Lots of seventh-round draft picks struggle to even make their respective teams in year one, let alone make impact plays. General managers typically don't trade back into the draft to go after late-round players. Developmental projects are tall tasks to take on in the NFL. Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach isn't your average executive, though, and he showed it when he selected Thakarius "BoPete" Keyes in this year's draft.
By sending a 2021 sixth-round pick to the Tennessee Titans back in April, Veach worked his way back into the 2020 Draft so he could snag Keyes. If there's one thing Chiefs fans have learned during Veach's tenure thus far, it's that he will almost always get the player(s) he sets his eyes on. Keyes is no different, as the Tulane product was selected 237th overall.
Keyes enjoyed a four-year career with the Green Wave, accepting more and more of a role as his time with the team went on. His calling cards heading into the draft were size (6'1", 202 pounds), length (32 5/8" arms) and ball skills. Keyes defended 17 passes and recorded a pair of interceptions in college, putting him on several radars as a late-round lottery ticket. The Chiefs are hoping to cash in on that potential.
Physically, Keyes fits the bill as a boundary corner. Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo runs a scheme that implements various concepts and is predicated upon trusting its personnel, so it always helps to have someone who can hold his own on the outside. Keyes' ball skills are a direct byproduct of his frame and long arms, as you can see in the back-corner interception below:
While Keyes is a good athlete with length that cannot be taught, he needs to improve and learn a lot in other areas before he's ready to play in the NFL. Mentally, he simply isn't up to NFL speed yet and will benefit from watching those above him on the depth chart (Bashaud Breeland, Charvarius Ward, Rashad Fenton, Antonio Hamilton and L'Jarius Sneed) in 2020.
Spagnuolo recognizes that, admitting he hasn't seen all that much of Keyes up to this point. "I don’t really have much on him (Keyes) because he hasn’t worked, and it’s just been conditioning more than anything else," he said, as Keyes was working his way back on the field after an injury. Spagnuolo also alluded to the fact that there's a steep learning curve for rookie corners, so both Keyes and Sneed have quite a ways to go as they adjust to the NFL game.
Luckily for Keyes, he already has what coaches are unable to work with him to improve. Coaches can't make players taller, nor stretch out their arms to be longer. They can, however, work on footwork, hip fluidity, mental processing and technique in both man and zone coverage. Sneed's downright scary athleticism and impressive production at Lousiana Tech (eight interceptions) give him the best chance to contribute as a rookie, but don't forget about Keyes.
Landing in poor situations and/or being thrown into the fire too early are two of the main culprits when NFL players' careers end before they even truly begin. BoPete Keyes not only got drafted by the best team in the NFL, but he has more than enough time to hone his craft and focus on being a good special teams contributor initially, then work his way up from there. With a world-class coaching staff by his side as he works to improve, along with some good physical gifts, the potential is there for him to become a productive member of the Chiefs' cornerback rotation a year or two down the line.
