Chiefs in 2021: The Boom Year for BoPete Keyes

You never like to mortgage the future for an unproven player, but when it comes to 6^th and 7^th round picks, who can blame Brett Veach for making the deal that brought BoPete Keyes to K.C. a year ago. That’s when Tennessee agreed to the trade that sent their 7th-round pick, #237, to K.C. in exchange for a 2021 6th-round pick. That allowed the Chiefs to take CB BoPete Keyes out of Tulane in the 2020 NFL Draft. Since the Chiefs were out of draft picks after taking DE Mike Danna at #177 in the 5th round… following the recommendations of DB Coach Sam Madison and Area Scout Willie Davis… the young K.C. phenom GM got the Titans to give the reigning Super Bowl Champions what they wanted — again — and Thakarius “BoPete” Keyes was draped in red and gold. Here are the results of that draft for K.C.:

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Keyes is 23 years old, and will be 24 in November, stands, 6-foot-1, and weighs 202 lbs.. A year ago, Charles Goldman at ChiefsWire, said this about the choice of Keyes:

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He fits the style of a long press cornerback that Kansas City historically has coveted, but he’s a pretty raw player.

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He may be raw… or was raw… but I have mad respect for Chiefs DB coach Sam Madison and if he believes in Keyes, so do I. Here’s what Madison had to say about Keyes at the time he was drafted:

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Madison made reference to Keyes being a fast learner. That may be what drew my eye to him this year as the Chiefs piece together their corps of corners. In an article by Nate Taylor called: “Chiefs got a steal: BoPete Keyes Expects to Justify the Chiefs Belief in Him” he quotes Keyes as saying this about J.J. McCleskey, his DB Coach at Tulane:

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“I had no technique coming in and he taught me everything I know, even [football] IQ. Even when I had a question about my position, he’d teach me more than just that.”

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You can tell a lot by what a person says, and in this case, what Keyes says and does. Tulane’s Head Coach, Willie Fritz, said of BoPete Keyes, “He’s got some things that you can’t teach a cornerback.” That begins with being a good learner. Fritz added, “[Keyes] was never too prideful when it came to suggestions on how to polish his play.”

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Keyes may have played his college ball at a small school in the All-American Athletic Conference, but he held opposing QBs to a 45% completion rate, which also meant he was usually assigned to cover the opposition’s best wide receivers, making that completion percentage even more impressive. I’m also very sure that had something to do with the Chiefs taking a second look at him, then making the move to snag him late in that draft.

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The Chiefs Willie Davis scouted BoPete Keyes at Tulane and said, “Keyes’ ability to irritate small, speedy receivers with press-man coverage in college [would] translate well with the Chiefs.” Davis also said that the reason Keyes didn’t participate at the NFL combine last year was due to minor injuries, which ended up being an advantage for K.C..

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“If he would’ve tested, I really think this kid would’ve gotten drafted higher, in the fifth round if not the fourth. Unfortunately, he got hurt… and luckily, we were able to get back in [the draft] and get him.”

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Here’s a BoPete Keyes interception against Florida International in 2019:

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Kevin Fielder at the Fifth Quarter said this of Keyes around the 2020 draft:

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“Keyes measured in with 32 5/8″ arms at the NFL Scouting Combine. The arms make him an intriguing piece, as the length is rare for a cornerback at the NFL level. His arm length, combined with size, makes him an intriguing developmental piece in the NFL. Keyes will simply prove a struggle for wide receivers in the NFL. Even if he’s not a huge athlete or a blazing fast player, his ability to provide a immovable force at the line of scrimmage is valuable and something that NFL teams will likely covet as a player. On 50/50 balls, Keyes is hard to win against because of his build and length he shows.”

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Lance Zierlein said this about BoPete Keyes,

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“Tall cornerback with good competitive streak who uses rare arm length to his advantage in press and catch disruption. He has adequate instincts and anticipation, but lacks functional makeup speed to cover-up for missteps in coverage. Keyes tends to play too free and easy with his footwork in space. He will need better discipline and bend to improve his balance and transition quickness. Scouts are very concerned about his long speed, but zone-heavy teams may view his length and ball skills as moldable traits to work with on the practice squad.”

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It’s frustrating when I disagree so much with an analyst’s view of a prospect. So, let’s take them one at a time. Keyes has better than “adequate” instincts and anticipation skills. Yes, there are times when a play breaks down for him but his ability to forget and move on, is superior, which is supported by his coaches. Then there’s, “Needs better discipline and bend to improve his balance and transition quickness.” I’m not even sure what that means, but Keyes is quicker than he is fast, but he’s plenty fast enough for the NFL. Plus, we know he likes to hit and enjoys contact as he is willing to tackle on running plays: Keyes had 95 total tackles, 2 INTs and 15 passes defended in his 4 years at Tulane.

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One of his strengths is jamming WRs at the line of scrimmage, but if he depends on that too much, he could get burnt in the NFL. However, that’s why the Chiefs have such great Safeties, they support their corners well which makes getting beat deep almost a moot point… in the Chiefs defense.

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When you put Keyes rare long arms together with his ability to disrupt WRs at the LoS, he looks like a CB who will get plenty of reps in 2021. At least the Chiefs have a little tape to look at since Keyes was in on 79 defensive snaps in 2020 (with most of those coming in week 17 when they rested their starters). His presence may also be one of the reasons that Veach didn’t bend over backwards to re-sign Bashaud Breeland this offseason.

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While some may think that there’s not a lot of difference between a UDFA and a 7th round pick, the Chiefs thought enough of Keyes to trade back into the 2020 draft using 2021 draft capital to do it. That the Chiefs were able to select L’Jarius Sneed in the 4th round and then have him be ranked as the 7th best player in a 2020 re-draft at the end of the season, speaks volumes about the organization’s ability to identify corner prospects and develop them. That can’t be understated.

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The Coaches Corner

Most of what BoPete Keyes needed to learn over this past year could be taught to him, like: improving his footwork, gaining hip fluidity, understanding how to mentally process a play plus techniques in man and zone. So, let’s take a moment to appreciate the defensive back coaches the Chiefs have in Sam Madison and Dave Merritt.

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set records at Louisville for INTs, with 16, and Passes Defensed, with 44. Madison also worked as a TV analyst for the Miami Dolphins prior to the time he took the job with the Chiefs in 2019.

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coach, having coached for 8 other teams before coming to K.C.. Here’s what DC Steve Spagnuolo had to say about Dave Merritt when he brought him to the Chiefs.

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Now that’s another thing that Sam Madison and Dave Merritt have in common: playing for DC Steve Spagnuolo. The Chiefs are extremely fortunate to have such great defensive backfield coaches as Sam Madison and Dave Merritt.

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When I say, “I trust in the Chiefs DB coaches,” perhaps that helps to explain a small part of why that’s true. When you combine their knowledge with the ability of the Chiefs scouting crew to spot DBs with talent, you have the perfect storm. Then, add in the trust that Brett Veach has in those coaches and scouts, and that’s why I believe this season is going to be a breakout season for BoPete Keyes.

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Now, Keyes looks like he’s pressing forward to make his own impact in 2021. One way he’s doing that is by out-working even the best that the Chiefs have to offer.

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By the way, that was BoPete Keyes who Mathieu was referring to… confirmed by another Mathieu’s tweet:

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By the time you consider that BoPete Keyes has 4.44, 40-yard dash speed, it shouldn’t overshadow his other considerable skills and is only enhanced by a multitude of other tangible talents, on and off the field. All which makes BoPete Keyes my Boom player for 2021.

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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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