Andreas Keaton, SAF, Temple
Size:
Height: 6’2” | Weight: 200 pounds
Accomplishments:
Second-Team All-Southern Conference (2022) • Southern Conference Freshman of the Year (2021)
“Andreas Keaton is a sure-tackling, physical safety with the hip fluidity and instincts to make an impact wherever he’s asked to play.”
Strengths:
Tackling
Hip flip
Footwork
Big-nickel upside
Ironman
Concerns:
Deep-field speed
Defeating blocks
Man-coverage consistency
Film Analysis:
Andreas Keaton was a ball-hawking defensive back at Hillsgrove High School in Powder Springs, Georgia. Even though he didn’t receive a star ranking, he amassed 37 pass breakups, eight interceptions (three returned for TDs), and 248 tackles with three sacks. He made his presence felt on the field and began his college career at Western Carolina. A former three-sport athlete in high school (basketball and track), Keaton immediately made an impact and was named the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year in 2021. He put together 184 total tackles, 19 passes defensed, and five interceptions before transferring to Temple for his Senior season.
Keaton is an iron man, never missing a collegiate game, and brings his lunch pail every game. One of the best tacklers in this defensive back class, Keaton has a tall and long NFL frame that shows in his tackling technique. He needs to improve his block-shedding technique with his natural length, and he’ll be more successful against screens and the diverse run game in the NFL. He moved around the back end of Temple’s defense with pre and post-snap shifts, going from a two-high look to a single-high. You can tell he’s a former basketball player with a natural athletic backpedal and hip fluidity that allows him to turn and run or change direction quickly. He tends to open his hips and declare early in man coverage reps, relying on his hip fluidity to recover, but his recovery speed to turn and run upfield lacks.
He displays a good backpedal technique and footwork to trigger downhill when necessary, contributing to his work against the run. He has the feel for zone depth as a two-high safety and can come down as a robber or play in the box as a force defender, big nickel, or dropping into a zone. He’s not a natural single-high safety, but he can give an NFL team competent reps in a rotating role with his experience.
Keaton has a good, developing football IQ that allows him to trigger downhill quickly and recognize route concepts, but improved eye discipline can help keep him ahead of more complex route concepts. He has a nose for the football, which showed up more as a tackler than a pass disruptor at Temple, but the previous ball production is there. Keaton is a high-effort player who is a natural leader, as shown by earning a single digit—a Temple tradition given to those who lead by example on and off the field.
Keaton is a hard-nosed defender with a good floor as a two-high safety and upside as a big nickel with his frame and physicality to handle bigger receivers and tight ends. His top-end speed and down-to-down man coverage consistency could limit his role at the next level.
Prospect Projection: Day 3 — Developmental Traits
Written By: Daniel Harms
Exposures: Navy (2024), Army (2024), Utah State (2024), Tulsa (2024)
