The New England Patriots selected Dalton Keene, Tight End, out of Virginia Tech. He was the 101st pick in the third round and was the fourth tight end drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Keene is 6’4” and 253 and he played three seasons at Virginia Tech. Keene did not have any notable injuries in college.
Keene was able to put up a decent stat line in his junior year with 21 catches, 240 yards, and five touchdowns. He was able to put up better numbers in his sophomore year but not enough to garner significant attention from NFL scouts.
When watching the film, Keene shows that he has good blocking skills and is willing to get dirty in the trenches. He looks like he may be able to fit the mold of an H-Back tight end in the NFL. He is not a prolific pass catcher but he may be able to develop into a decent possession tight end in the future.
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New England is addressing its need for the tight end position in this draft. Stidham is going to need people to throw to, but I think Keene projects a bit more as a blocker than a pass-catcher. Previous draft pick Devin Asiasi projects more as the pass-catching TE in that offense. Minimal success in the run game and the need for additional options for Stidham likely prompted this pick. Targeting the tight end 9% of the time in 2020 clearly caught the eye of the coaching staff, and the two tight ends drafted on day two should solve that problem. The last time the Patriots drafted two tight ends in the same draft it turned out to be Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Asiasi and Keene are nowhere near the type of offensive weapons Gronk and Hernandez were, but they fill a role and a need on this Patriots offense.
Keene is not a tight end I would recommend drafting or picking up. Give him some time to see if he sticks with a team and monitor his progress over his first few years. He could eventually wind up being a decent bye week fill-in if he improves his offensive game.
