Dalton Keene wants to be the next George Kittle.
It’s a lofty comparison. But it’s the NFL draft — that’s the perfect time for dangerously high comparisons. And that upside is surely why the New England Patriots traded up to 101st overall in the third round to take Keene, a Virginia Tech tight end. The beauty of Keene’s game, however, is that he’s more dynamic than the average tight end. He can play fullback, h-back and tight end. Keene can line up in the backfield, in-line, in the slot and, to some degree, on the outside. During his time at Virginia Tech, he flashed enough versatility to tempt the Patriots.
“I think they tried to do a lot of different things with me,” Keene told reporters on a conference call on Saturday. “It was awesome that they trusted me to do so many different things and I think it says a lot about how I play and as a football player. That’s why I’m so excited that I got picked up by the Patriots because I think they do so many different things with their tight ends and are really creative there. So, I couldn’t be happier right now with where I ended up.”
No doubt, if the Patriots find that Keene can be as diverse a player in the pros as he was in college, New England will make heavy usage of Keene.
“Kind of an interesting guy, underclassman,” Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio said on a video conference call early Saturday morning. “Really played, essentially from day one, a three-year starter. Really had to kind of search for some things with him on tape. He took advantage of his opportunities. A couple of things that stood out were just some of his catch-and-run type plays. Good size, 6-4 and change, call it 255, 260 (pounds). Fairly athletic, tough kid, smart kid. Was asked to do a number of different things in their offense.”
The biggest question is how much they’ll use him in the passing game. Keene’s arrival in New England will coincide with fellow third-round pick and tight end Devin Asiasi, a UCLA product. The two rookie tight ends will likely fill in the starting spots at that position. Though Keene had 59 receptions for 748 yards with eight touchdowns during his college career — an underwhelming total considering he was a starter since Day 1 — he may be able to be much more productive on an annual basis in New England, where they may end up getting him and Asiasi a solid number of touches during their rookie season.
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