Rams (#232) 7th Round Tim Keenan III, DT, Alabama

[TheTackle]

Here is a report about his quickness off the snap.

I think we have overlooked how much of a draft steal we might have here! The Rams consistently look for traits that other teams overlook. Tim has five elite traits for a NT:

1. He consistently gets off the snap quicker than the Center in front of him

2. He is an elite best bull rusher and gets the Center consistently moving backwards. He is a master of the leverage battle

3. He was a team leader and made a lot of plays himself, which is not necessarily his most important job. He was their best run defender on each of his Alabama teams, and it wasn’t close, against SEC NFL talent. Not just in one season but across seasons

4. He has an elite motor, at over 320, and doesn’t ever take a play off. He’s tough, playing through an injury. He’s strong and has said in interviews that he doesn't feel limited playing at 330 pounds!

Scouting report and interview:

‘He's got quickness when it comes to clogging lanes and getting off of pulling guards and tackle stunts. Keenan - a team captain last season - is a prototypical nose tackle who should be able to use leverage to win at the line of scrimmage.

"With me being 6-foot-2, I ain't 6-foot-5, so I ain't got the arm length that some of these guys have," Keenan told reporters at the NFL Combine. "Some of these guys can touch their knees standing up. So, I have to make sure I get my hands inside, get them on the offensive lineman quick, because the first person that strikes and gets their feet across the line, they win."

Patriots Draft Profile: Alabama's Tim Keenan Can Clog The Middle

The New England Patriots need to find a true nose tackle replacement for Khyiris Tonga.

ca.sports.yahoo.com

 

[TheTackle]

A three-year starter at Alabama, Keenan lined up at nose tackle in defensive coordinator Kane Womack’s multiple scheme. He was a Nick Saban favorite, because of his reliability and “do your job” production — and that continued with the Tide’s new staff. He got a late start as a senior following preseason ankle surgery, which affected his production, but he played his best ball late in the season (see the SEC championship game versus Georgia)

Keenan lacks range and suddenness as a block shedder, but he is an instinctual player with the refined hands to clog up run lanes. He is a better football player than a toolsy athlete and could be this year’s version of Khyiris Tonga.

A four-star recruit, Keenan was the 46th-ranked defensive lineman in the 2021 class and the No. 12 recruit in Alabama.

Tkles TFL Sks
2023 Alabama 14 13 38 1.5 1
2024 Alabama 13 12 40 7.5 2.5
2025 Alabama 12 12 16 3 2

2025 looks like a blip. We are looking at a steal, especially after he dropped due to athletic testing, which, while it shows up in film, has very little to do with being a two-down force against run...

Go Rams

Tim Keenan III - The Beast 2026

Read Dane Brugler's scouting report on Tim Keenan III

www.nytimes.com

 

[JonRam99]

Honestly, up until we got Ford last year, our "3-4" D-Line has been missing a true NT--and once we plugged in Ford, the impact was immediate. Neither Ty Hamilton nor Tyler Davis were drafted to be NTs. We don't always use one on every down, but when we've needed one, no one but Ford has been able to plug the middle effectively, and when he was out last season, we all saw our whole D suffer.
Enter TKIII. This kid is a gem, a consummate team player, captain, and btw a MONSTER in the middle. He may not play much this season while Ford is starting, but maaan, he's in a great position to learn under a great NT -- and possibly exceed him. Ford is a great run stuffer, but TKIII has that plus some chase down ability with a motor that doesn't quit. I watched one highlight of a WR tweener tryna take a sweep up the right side & getting flattened by TKIII... he looked over at him, like, 'what the heck just hit me??' Ford has indeed made some nice splash plays, but I think TKIII might just be a bit more athletic.
Really looking forward to seeing him work this season.

 

[Merlin]

I expect he will quickly end up in a DL rotation for the early downs, and that benefits Ford by keeping him fresh in games as well as increasing the odds he'll be healthy for the playoff run. If you want to play good run defense in the playoffs and keep bigger lines from leaning on your DL, having a couple run stuffers who can rotate and gum up the middle is a good way to do it.

This dude will be more effective vs the power/duo or interior zone runs than the outside zone but I'm glad we added a NT. Rams did a good job of learning from and addressing the things that hurt them this offseason.