Tim Keenan III DL ALABAMA
A six-foot-one, 332-pound defensive tackle from The University of Alabama, Birmingham native Tim Keenan III stuck home after an impressive high school career at Ramsey High that led him to be named a three and four-star recruit by various sources. Keenan arrived at The University of Alabama clocking in at a massive 380 pounds and would have to redshirt his freshman year for weight management, year two was more of the same for Keenan seeing very limited action. In Keenan’s third year of college his role would ramp up quickly, starting on the D-Line as a key run defender, over the following two years he would hold that role and be named a captain in 2025, a season in which he missed three games due to an ankle injury.
Keenan’s ratio of height, weight, and athleticism accounts for some of his biggest strengths as well as his greatest weaknesses, his below average height combined with strong anchoring weight allows him a level of natural leverage when entering the opposing lineman’s pads which he consistently wins at with quick and violent hands, he then uses his weight to consume space often taking up two lineman at a time with his sheer mass, width, and strong anchor strength. He is, however, limited by a lack of true explosiveness and burst despite being fairly quick on his feet for his size, and his long speed is also weak. His length can also pose issues, as longer linemen can slow his progress and chop at his arms to win reps. In spite of his physical limitations, Keenan is a go-getter who hustles in space to get to runners and receivers at times. Even if his limitations deem it impossible, he wants to be in the mix. Despite being a long term starter, Keenan still struggles computing misdirection and is often found away from the play, his eager motor also tends to get the best of him as he tends to overshoot when his momentum gets going and doesn’t have the recovery speed to come back to the ball leaving lanes open.
In pass rush Keenan is a mixed bag, he quickly and violently asserts his hands upon the lineman’s chest to attack with his go-to bull rush but is generally not able to generate any kind of real pressure against the quarterback, he does however show a much more advanced pass rush skillset when he has space such as during stunts and the rare occasion he was thrown onto the edge for Bama’, he displays an enticing mix of violent choppy clubs and an impressive swim move that allowed him to create more instant pressure, these factors give promise to his unpolished interior pass rush bag. As for run defense, Keenan is a wide, space-eating brick wall with titanium reinforcements. He is virtually unmovable when his feet are anchored and is a sure tackler when ball carriers enter his range. My biggest gripe with Keenan’s run defense is his aforementioned awareness during plays with misdirection, where he tends to get lost or overshoot.
Scheme Fit and Team Fit:
The Los Angeles Chargers, who rostered two players closely resembling Keenan last season, would be a clear team fit, especially with Teair Tart on the way out, amongst other teams looking for run-fitting anchors on their line of scrimmage with success in stunts such as the Packers and Raiders.
NFL Player Comp:
His closest NFL comparisons in size and play style would be Teair Tart and Jamaree Caldwell, who are both stockily built run stuffers with a nasty streak.
Projection: Role Player-Low End Starter
Keenan projects to me as a day 3 pick with upside as a rock-solid run stuffer and a developmental pass rusher.
Grade and NFL Draft Projection: 3.00, Early to Mid Day 3
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