Hokies’ Keene hopes versatility earns him a spot in NFL draft
All of Dalton Keene’s pre-NFL draft decision-making process got boiled down in January to one simple series of questions from Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente.
Weighing the pros and cons of whether he should forgo his senior season at Tech and declare his eligibility for the draft, Keene partially expected Fuente and Hokies tight ends coach James Shibest to sway him into remaining at Tech. That’s not how the conversation went with Fuente.
Instead, Fuente made Keene predict the future.
“He asked me, ‘What do you want your life to look like in this upcoming year? Do you want to be a college student and keep going to classes and keep going to Virginia
Tech? Or do you want to be a professional?’ ” Keene said.
“I really appreciated how (Tech’s coaches) helped me out with that because in their position, it would be in their best interests to try to get me to stay, but they really left the choice up to me. … That kind of sealed the deal with me that I knew I made the right decision going to Virginia Tech.”
This week, Keene finds out if his decision to turn pro will lead to being selected in the draft, which takes place Thursday through Saturday. He’s projected by most analysts to be a late-round pick or an undrafted free agent.
Keene, a 6-foot-4, 253-pound graduate of Chatfield High in Littleton, Colorado, represents Tech’s best chance to have a player
selected. Tech didn’t have a player taken in last season’s draft, and will be looking this week to avoid going two straight years without having a player drafted for the first time since 1978 and ’79.
Former Tech safety Reggie Floyd and running back Deshawn McClease are considered draft longshots. McClease, an Oscar Smith High alum, decided to bypass his final season of eligibility and declare for the draft after graduating with two undergrad degrees. He finished his Tech career with 389 carries for 1,833 yards and 12 touchdowns, plus 28 catches for 231 yards.
When Keene and Fuente talked in January, neither could’ve anticipated the world changing within two months because of the coronavirus pandemic. But Keene can project, from his own point of view, what the remainder of the year will look like for him.
He thinks the adaptability he showed at Tech — where he played tight end, wide receiver lining up in the slot and even took a few carries at running back — and the NFL combine will lead to a spot on an NFL roster. In addition to traditional tight end drills at the combine in February, he participated in some fullback drills.
“It was really easy stuff,” said Keene, who started for three seasons at Tech, finishing with 59 catches for 748 yards and eight touchdowns. “They just kind of wanted to see how we move and read linebackers and stuff like that. … I don’t think anyone at the next level is looking at me as a running back, but I think they see on my film that I played a little bit of running back, and that’s pretty exciting for them. It shows that I’m a versatile player and a smart player who can be lined up in a lot of different spots.”
Shibest realized before the start of Keene’s final season at Tech that he was morphing into the multi-faceted player he’s advertising himself as being to NFL personnel. Though Tech had good tight end depth last season with Keene, James Mitchell and Nick Gallo, Keene offered something more polished.
“He has gotten so much better in space, running routes,” Shibest said in August. “You can just see the progression with him. He’s always been a tough, physical blocker, and he’s improved there, too, with just getting his hands inside. … The players look up to him and respect him because he’s a worker. … We count on him for a lot.”
Like so many players preparing for the draft in the age of the pandemic, Keene has transformed his garage at home in Colorado into a gym. He’ll be at home all week, anxiously awaiting a phone call from a potential employer.
“This is probably going to be the longest week of my life, but I’m just going to try to enjoy every minute of it with my family,” said Keene, who’s had contact with most NFL teams.
“I do definitely get the sense that there’s a few teams out there that I think have a really good feeling for me and are really trying to get me. … It only takes one come draft day. I’m just hoping for one team to take a chance on me, and I’m going to make the most of it.”