Tim
Keenan III.
Tim
Keenan III.
Alabama· 6'1"· 327 lb· 5.31s 40
R7 · #232 · Los Angeles Rams"A true early-down space-eater in the Phil Taylor mold: the anchor and leverage are NFL-caliber right now, and his value will be measured entirely by what the linebackers behind him are allowed to do rather than by anything on his own stat line."Pre-draft read
He aligns as a shade or true nose, utilizing a wide stance and low pad level to fire off. He punches into the center's sternum, then locks out, reading the play's flow. Against single blocks, he can walk centers backward, closing the A gap. Against double teams, he sinks his weight and turns shoulders into the down blocker, forcing the combination to stay on him.
His get-off is quick, beating slow reach blocks; his hands are accurate, consistently finding the chest plate. However, his finishing is lacking. Once a blocker survives the initial punch, he lacks a reliable secondary move, and his short arms prevent late shedding, allowing ball carriers to slip past. As a pass rusher, he is a bull rusher, collapsing pocket depth on a straight push.
This prospect is tailor-made for a one-gap 4-3 penetrating front that prioritizes stout run defense up front and blitzes behind it.
He projects as an immediate early-down run-stuffing nose tackle who should quickly develop into a two-down starter.
He would not succeed in a high-volume passing scheme or an extreme wide-9 front that values pass rush over run defense.
Keenan III is a classic two-down run-plugger with the size, leverage, and power to anchor the middle of a defensive line, but offers almost nothing as a pass rusher.
Tim Keenan III 2025 Highlights | Alabama DL
Senior-season cut-up: the best available look at his leverage against double teams and his anchor in the A gap.
Tim Keenan III's Powerhouse Plays At Alabama | Rams 2026 NFL Draft
Team-produced reel focused on the point-of-attack reps that made Los Angeles spend the 232nd pick on him.
Tim Keenan III Drafted #232 to Los Angeles Rams | Alabama Highlights
School highlight package spanning his two seasons as the starting nose, including the 2025 blocked punt.
Keenan III projects as a classic late-round nose tackle, an interior defender whose game centers on occupying blockers rather than making plays. His value lies in his ability to hold the point of attack and consume blocks, thereby allowing linebackers to operate freely behind him. He fits best in a run-heavy, two-gap scheme where his primary responsibility will be to anchor the defensive line on early downs.
A five-year Alabama interior defender, he redshirted and spent time as a reserve before becoming a full-time starter as a redshirt junior. He started 24 games over his final two seasons, during which Alabama's stuff rate steadily climbed, reaching 19.8 percent in 2025. An ankle injury cost him the first three games of his senior year, but he returned to start the final 12 straight games.
Evaluators recognized him as a leverage and mass player focused on run defense, with little pass-rush upside. His limited role as an early-down defender and his relative lack of splash plays were consistent flags. He was ultimately selected in the seventh round with the 232nd pick, signaling a specific, niche role for him.
- 01
Natural leverage
At 6-1, he effectively plays under taller centers and guards, maintaining a low center of gravity without forced knee bend.
- 02
Two-gap anchor
Consistently holds the A gap against down blocks, rarely displaced, contributing to Alabama's improved run defense metrics.
- 03
Heavy, accurate and active hands
Lands punches into the chest plate, stalling reach blocks and controlling the blocker's frame effectively.
- 04
Durable workhorse
Played 41 career games with 24 consecutive starts after earning the job, including all 12 after returning from injury in 2025.
- 05
Get-off for the weight class
Exhibited a 1.83 ten-yard split, respectable interior burst for a 327-pound player.
- 01
No pass rush
Accumulated only 5.5 career sacks and 10 hurries over five seasons, below the threshold for even a rotational NFL three-technique.
- 02
Short arms
Measuring 30½ inches with a 6-5 wingspan, he struggles to disengage from blockers once they establish contact.
- 03
Regression in production
Saw his tackles drop from 40 with 7.5 TFL in 2024 to 16 tackles and 3.0 TFL in 2025.
- 04
Snap-count ceiling
Not a three-down player, which limits his value on a 46-man gameday roster due to his situational deployment.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 5.31sp50
- Vertical
- 30inp50
- Broad jump
- 100inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- 21repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Alabama | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Alabama | 14 | 38 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | Alabama | 13 | 40 | 2.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | Alabama | 12 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | — | 41 | 95 | 5.5 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Honors
- Five-year Alabama Crimson Tide defensive tackle (2021-2025) who appeared in 41 games with 24 starts
- Full-time starting nose tackle for his final two seasons, starting 12 of 13 games in 2024 and the last 12 games of 2025
- Career highs of 40 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks as a redshirt junior in 2024
- Recorded a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, a pass breakup and a blocked punt as a senior in 2025
- Alabama's defensive stuff rate improved in each of his two seasons as a starter, from 15.2 percent in 2023 to 18.7 in 2024 and 19.8 in 2025
- Signed with Alabama out of Ramsay High School in Birmingham after leading the program to a 12-2 record and a 5A region runner-up finish as a senior in 2020
- Invited to the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine; no all-conference honors in five seasons
A late-round SEC interior lineman who carves out a rotational run-down job on a couple of rosters without ever becoming a full-time starter.
The ceiling if the anchor translates fully: a true early-down space-eater whose value is measured entirely by what the linebackers behind him are allowed to do.
The floor for a heavy, short-armed college nose: a bounce-around depth body who dresses for injury weeks and never earns a defined role.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
The Rams took Keenan with the 232nd pick as a late-round bet on a specific, narrow skill: holding the point of attack so the players behind him can play free. Los Angeles has spent years cycling through heavy bodies to pair with Braden Fiske and Ty Hamilton, and a 327-pound two-gapper on a seventh-round contract is the cheapest way to protect an early-down front.
The route to a roster spot is not through the stat sheet — his college production was modest even at his best — but through practice-field consistency in the run game and special teams value, where the blocked punt in 2025 is the tell that he moves better than his build suggests. The realistic outcome is a rotational nose who plays 250 to 350 snaps a season and is the second man in on early downs, valuable but replaceable.
The bear case is that the short arms and the absent pass rush make him a practice-squad body who never converts a two-gap college role into an NFL one. He turned 23 in December 2025 and arrives with five years of SEC development already banked, which cuts both ways: the technique is finished, but so is most of the projection.