New England Patriots rookie tight ends Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene look poised to make major but different contributions in 2020.
When the Patriots drafted Asiasi out of UCLA, he seemed like a natural fit in New England’s passing offense, excelling as a pass-catcher in college. He’s showing much of the same in training camp, building connections with each of the Patriots’ top quarterbacks and, in particular, Cam Newton.
With a wide skillset at H-back, fullback and tight end at Virginia Tech, Keene seemed like more of a puzzling prospect for Patriots. And again, that’s bearing out in camp, with him taking snaps at multiple positions and still getting his footing in the offense.
But it seems possible — and perhaps likely — that Keene and Asiasi could coexist and complement each other in New England’s offense.
“Yeah, it was awesome,” Keene said during a videoconference with reports on Monday. “So, we were actually roommates at the combine, for those of you who don’t know the story, so we got to know each other then. That was a really good jumpstart for our relationship coming here. So, we’re really comfortable with each other. We complement each other in a lot of different ways on the field. And it’s nice to have a guy that’s kind of in the same shoes as you, so you can help each other out, and it helps with learning and helps with competition and stuff like that.”
After veteran tight end Matt LaCosse and fullback Dan Vitale opted out of the season due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, the rookies essentially jumped to the top of the depth chart. There’s still tight end Ryan Izzo and fullback Jakob Johnson, but it appears that Keene and Asiasi are emerging quickly and challenging those two veterans for a starting role.
After getting significant tough love on Friday for their mistakes, Asiasi and Keene put together strong work on Monday. Asiasi logged a handful of catches, but with the team focusing more heavily on the running game, Keene’s contributions came into clearer focus. He was meeting linebackers at the line of scrimmage to make room for runners Damien Harris, Rex Burkhead and J.J. Taylor.
But the two tight ends aren’t one-trick ponies. Asiasi showed his blocking abilities when he planted linebacker Caash Maluia on his back to make space for Harris. And Keene was notorious for his abilities after the catch in college. They can each do a little bit of everything, even if they have their strengths.
“It’s been great,” Asiasi told reporters. “DK brings a lot to the table that complements, I feel like, the rest of the team’s game. Being able to learn from him, being able to see the way he works and the way he puts his best foot forward each and every day, it’s been a pleasure working alongside him, coming in with him as well.”
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