Tim Keenan III NFL Draft Scouting Report

Tim Keenan III projects as a reliable, early-impact nose tackle at the next level, offering immediate value on early downs to anchor an NFL run defense for the next decade.

 Draft Grade: Round 3 - Adequate Starter

Strengths:

Frame: Wide-bodied and bulky frame makes him really difficult to move off the ball. 

Run Anchor: Eats space up and doesn’t give up ground. Difficult to displace. Plays low to the ground and relies on his unique frame and natural power to hold the point of attack. 

Athletic Profile: Despite his size and build, Keenan III demonstrates good reactionary athleticism and flexibility, enabling him to change direction effectively. Looks fluid and can stay involved in plays that guys his size can’t. 

Consistency: You know what you’re getting from Tim Keenan III on every play—reliable and disruptive run defense. 

Concerns:

Pass Rushing: Keenan III leaves more to be desired as a pass-rusher. Not an all-downs defender in the NFL right now. Has a little upside as a penetrator when you need him. 

Limited NFL Role: Not a guy I’d expect to move around the LOS much. Situationally limited.

Tim Keenan III Summary/Projection:

Tim Keenan III enters the 2026 NFL Draft after steadily forging a key role along Alabama’s defensive front. A Birmingham, Alabama native and four-star recruit from Ramsay High School, where he helped his team reach the state quarterfinals, Keenan arrived on campus in 2021 and redshirted his freshman year. He saw limited action across just two games in 2022 before emerging as a full-time starter in 2023, finishing that season with 38 tackles, including one sack. In 2024, he started 12 of 13 games and posted career highs with 40 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks.

Keenan is a new beat in a long melody of space-eating, run-dominant defensive linemen that we’ve seen come out of the SEC in recent years. He’s a squatty but well-proportioned 326 pounds with adequate length and some surprising short-area athleticism. He does not jump off the screen, but the longer I watched Keenan’s tape, the more I came away liking him.

He’s an innately strong force to have to block. His frame becomes an advantage for him, especially in anchoring double teams and steering single blocks. His center of gravity is grounded and low. He’s quick off the ball and assertive with his hands. He’s really difficult to displace, but he’s also able to quickly disengage and pursue the football. I really liked the way Keenan kind of broke free of the traditional heavy-bodied run defender. Similarly to how T’Vondre Sweat has shown off his range as a run defender in the NFL, Keenan is cut from the same cloth. He can really fight to maintain gaps in horizontal run schemes and can keep himself involved consistently. He’s a guy who consistently stays in frame on film.

As a pass rusher, Keenan leaves more to be desired, but not all is lost. At the NFL level, that just won’t be Keenan's game—but it doesn't have to be. There’s a defined and valuable role in what Keenan brings to an NFL defense, and while his pass rushing is somewhat deficient, his baseline abilities as an athlete, along with his natural power and explosiveness, make him a potent penetrator in gap-exchange rushes and a candidate to flash and hit home a couple of times a season. He’s got some attainable upside there, but Keenan’s identity is in his run defending.

To conclude Keenan's evaluation, I think this is a decade-long, consistent NFL contributor. He’ll provide great production as a true nose tackle or as a tight shade, where he can start as close to the football as possible on every down. I expect Keenan to be a highly touted Day 2 run defender. I think there’s a range of anywhere from picks 35 to 85 where a team could fall in love with Tim Keenan III.