Film Don't Lie: Lawrence Keys III
The Irish have had some attrition at receiver with the dismissal of Kevin Stepherson and Equanimeous St. Brown deciding to leave early for the NFL. Both of them could make big plays after the catch as they showed versus Stanford with receptions of 83 and 75 yards for touchdowns. Notre Dame also lost another big play threat in Josh Adams, who consistently broke long runs during his junior season.
It was important to replace some of that big play potential in this class and they have done so with Braden Lenzy and now Lawrence Keys III after he just pledged to the Irish. They now have two receivers with the ability to take the top off of a defense in this class.
Keys and Lenzy should help balance out the size of the rest of the receiving corps with their speed. I expect him to compete at X or in the slot and it wouldn’t surprise me if we saw him get in the mix as early as this fall.
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 170
Projected Position: Slot or X receiver
ISD Grade: 93 (4 star)
National Average Grade: 90.9 (4 star)
What he does best:
Keys has the kind of speed that is scary for defenders. He can make cuts without losing much or any speed. If a corner plays him tight, he could run right by them. If a corner plays off, he can do this to them.
All he needs is a crease and it can be a house call on any play. He should be a terrific option in the screen game because safeties will be forced to have perfect angles when attacking him or else risk being left watching the back of Keys jersey get smaller and smaller as he runs away from them.
He has the kind of ability where it will be a risk to play off of him because of that. But he also flashes the footwork to get open and separate in tight coverage. He’s going to be such a tough matchup for corners because if they get sucked into overplaying his speed, he is good at adjusting to back shoulder throws.
What makes Keys dynamic is the burst he has. His explosive ability to make a cut and accelerate is special. The way he plants his foot on this slant makes it look like he is shot out of a cannon.
He may be slight, but he isn’t just a below the rim option. He will go up attack the football in the air too. Keys also tracks the ball well and does a great job adjusting to it over his shoulder.
Keys also has the potential to be a dangerous returner. That’s an area where even if he doesn’t see the field as a receiver right away, he could immediately play in the return game.
What he needs to improve:
I think he has all the tools to be an elite route runner, but isn’t one yet. He flashes some fantastic footwork to separate in tight coverage. He needs to be more consistent and work his way back to the football more, though. Keys will be running a comeback, but waits on the football to get to him.
I’d like to see him be more slippery in tight spaces. If he gets room after the catch, then he can do serious damage. But I didn’t see a ton of him creating space for himself by making defenders miss.
At 170 pounds, he is not very big, I think that he is probably always going to be on the skinny side. He needs to get stronger and be more capable of breaking tackles.
What’s his ceiling?
I’m higher on Keys as a prospect than some other people, but his ability to get to top speed so quickly is rare in my opinion. He is never going to be the prototype with his size, but he doesn’t need to be. He can be great in so many areas without that being a big part of his game.
Whether he plays outside at X or ends up in the slot, I think Keys has the potential to be a first or second option in Notre Dame’s offense. He’s a bit taller than him, but someone like former Duke receiver Jamison Crowder is who I can see him becoming similar to at the college level. A 3 star recruit out of high school, Crowder was highly productive in David Cutcliffe’s offense with multiple 1,000 yard seasons and five career return touchdowns.
Notre Dame is adding a diverse group of weapons at receiver in this class. There should be some good competition between the group when it comes to who gets the most targets in a couple of years because they all have big time talent. It would not surprise me to see Keys rise to the top amongst them, though. I’m a big fan of his game.