NFL Draft Profile: Kyu Blu Kelly, Cornerback, Stanford Cardinal
In this story:
#17
Pos: CB
Ht: 6000
Wt: 191
Hand: 0968
Arm: 3200
Wing: 7658
40: 4.52
DOB: 5/22/2001
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
High School: Bishop Gorman
Eligibility: 2023
Kyu Blu Kelly
Stanford Cardinal
One-Liner:
A physical, press corner that plays through the ball and locks down the boundary.
Evaluation:
Suitable size, adequate length that sits on above-average musculature, and well-built frame. Plays in press alignment. Quick feet that are active off the snap, mirroring the receiver's movement patterns. Easily Carries vertical routes up the boundary. Both physical and timely at the catch point. Will get his head around, play through the wideout and force pass breakups. May be late to react to screens and/or bringing himself to the blocker. Doesn't overcut or play underneath, seemingly willing the stalk blocker to get on top of him. Does not have the recovery speed to make up for biting on plays. His hips are a little tight, making him invaluable when he goes for double moves. Flawed tackler. Kelly is a physical corner who does his best work in press alignments. He displays hip tightness and questionable movement skills when playing off, making him a questionable zone corner. Still, his long speed and recovery ability may limit his projection as a man corner. Ideally, Kelly plays in a two-high scheme where he can play lots of cloud and press quarters.
Grade:
3rd Round
Quotes:
“One name in the mix for NFL teams looking at early-round CB help is Kyu Blu Kelly. Long & an athletic cover guy with pro bloodlines is scheme versatile and sources expect him to test well. Ball skills stood out on junior tape.”
Background:
Kyu Blu Kelly, from Las Vegas, Nevada, has earned several accolades during his career at Stanford. In 2022, before the season, he is Preseason All Pac 12 and is on the Shrine Bowl Watch List. The season prior, he was All Pac 12 Second Team and started in all eleven games. Even as a freshman, is started in nine games for the team and has thirty-five tackles. He was ranked as the forty-eighth-best cornerback and Nevada’s third-best recruit. Kelly has football in his background, with his father playing at USC and for the Buccaneers and Lions from 1998-2008.
