Player: Kyu Blu Kelly
School: Stanford
Measurables:
- Height: 6’ (NFL Combine)
- Weight: 191 (NFL Combine)
- 40: 4.52 (NFL Combine)
- 10 Yard Split: 1.49 (NFL Combine)
- Bench: DNP
- Vertical Jump: 36” (NFL Combine)
- Broad Jump: 10’11” (NFL Combine)
- 3 Cone: DNP
- 20 Yard Shuttle: DNP
Graded Position Specific Traits:
- Man Coverage: 7.75/10
- Zone Coverage: 7.25/10
- Field Vision: 5.75/10
- Tackling: 5.5/10
- Run Support: 7.5/10
- Range: 5.25/10
Prospect Grade: 39/60; 65%- Great starter with potential to be a top tier starter
Projected Draft Day: Late Round 1- Early Round 2
Player Comparison: Alontae Taylor
Player Summary:
Kelly is a prospect that impressed me a lot. I think he’s a really good coverage corner who may be one of, if not the best CB in run support I’ve watched in the last couple years. He’s strong at the point of attack against blockers, and shows a smart aggression like I’ve never seen from a CB before. The best way I can think to explain it is he’s a cornerback with a safety mentality. His goal when he sees the ball carrier is to run right through his blocker. That being said, his ability to actually get off blocks at times could use some work, but I’d rather teach block shedding because you can’t coach the mentality he has.
From a coverage standpoint I think he could fit into any defense, unlike what other people may think. In Cover 3/4, I think he’s smooth in his drop. I really liked when he was playing Cover 2 though. He would press and jam his receiver, and it would keep him closer to the box. I like Kelly as a press man corner, but I worry about him as an off man corner. If the route stays on his side of the field I feel like he’s fine, but if they run a drag or some kind of quick crosser where he can’t get hands on he’s not going to be able to keep up with the WR. He lacks top end speed and they will separate. One note coverage wise though, whether man or zone if he’s in press alignment he plays with an inside leverage almost every snap. I suspect that he’s afraid to get beat inside due to his speed. Due to lining up inside, his jam can be ineffective at times especially on outside releases. He’ll just barely catch the shoulder. I think Kelly’s jam flashes the ability to be good enough to play square to the receiver and without inside leverage. When he can jam the WR hard off the line you can see the WR have to recover.
Kelly got tested on a decent amount of Go’s and Fades. He may be half to a full step behind the receiver but he never really gets burned. There are times where he needs to remember to get his head around to track the ball, and there are other times where I feel like he needs to work on getting into a better body positioning to make a play.
The final note I have is about where Kelly is going to play. I agree with the consensus that Kelly has the size and length to play outside at the next level; however, Kelly’s run support, aggression, and ability to be an explosive blitzer makes me think he could be a good safety, or more likely nickel. The thought of playing him as a big nickel excites me, I think he would thrive there.