The New England Patriots have made big investments in their interior defensive line each of the last two offseasons. First, they signed Christian Barmore to a massive contract extension; then, they added Milton Williams on a $104 million free agency pact.
This offseason, meanwhile, has been relatively quiet. No big free agents were added to the mix — in fact, no free agent defensive tackles were signed to begin with — while the Patriots also do not appear to be in the market for one of the top DTs
in the draft. That said, it would still not be surprising to see them add to the position in one of the later rounds.
If that is the way to go, Alabama’s Tim Keenan is a player to watch out for.
Hard facts
Name: Tim Keenan III
Position: Interior defensive line/Nose tackle
School: Alabama (RS Sr.)
Opening day age: 23 (12/9/2002)
Measurements: 6’1”, 327 lbs, 30 1/2” arm length, 8 5/8” hand size, 5.31 40-yard dash, 30” vertical jump, 8’4” broad jump, 2.74 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
Colleges: Alabama (2021-25)
Career statistics: 41 games (37 starts) | 1,376 defensive snaps, 135 special teams snaps | 95 tackles, 9 missed tackles (8.7%), 12.5 TFLs, 1 FF, 2 FRs | 43 QB pressures (5.5 sacks, 2 hits, 35 hurries) | 3 PBUs | 1 blocked punt | 2 penalties (incl. 0 declined/offsetting)
Accolades: N/A
Coming out of Ramsey High School in Birmingham, AL, Keenan was considered one of the top defensive line prospects in the state and rated as a four-star recruit. Unsurprisingly, several high-profile schools came knocking, including LSU, Georgia, Oregon and Penn State. However, he decided to stay close to home and committed to the University of Alabama in 2020.
Keenan spent his entire five-year college career with the Crimson Tide, first under Nick Saban and later under Kalen DeBoer. While not putting up prolific stats from his nose tackle position, he was a reliable player at the heart of the team’s defense and somebody well-respected in Tuscaloosa. In 2025, his best season even after missing the first three games due to an ankle issue, he was named a captain.
Draft profile
Projected round: 5-6 | Consensus big board: No. 149 | Patriots meeting: N/A
Strengths: Keenan has the density of a neutron star, packing 327 pounds (89th percentile) into a 6-foot-1 frame (9th percentile) with some of the shortest arms you will ever see on an NFL defensive tackle (1st percentile). His compact build combined with his strength allows him to hunker down in the trenches and control the gap in front of him; he rarely gets moved off the spot even by double teams. He plays a technically sound game that takes advantage of his natural leverage and comes with a good initial strike as well as some advanced diagnosing skills. He also has some fairly decent burst out of his stance and a motor that is running continuously hot.
Weaknesses: Keenan is a limited player both physically and athletically. His aforementioned lack of length puts him at a disadvantage, while he lacks the lower-body fluidity and quickness to make up for a loss of leverage. In general, he is not the most fleet-footed pursuit defender, which limits him to an early-down role and effectively takes him out of plays that go beyond the first line of defense. He also offers little in terms of versatility outside of eating up space from the nose.
Patriots preview
What would be his role? Keenan projects to play a role similar to the one held by Khyiris Tonga during his one-year stint with the Patriots in 2025. He is a space eater who is best suited to be used in the run game but due to his missing length and rather average movement skills will be of little value outside of early downs and short-yardage/goal line situations. If therefore used like Tonga, he would be on the field for roughly one third of defensive snaps any given week, serving as a rotational DT3/DT4.
Does he have positional versatility? Keenan is best suited to line up as a 0-technique nose, and can also play the 1 or 3 spots. However, his lack of range limits him to the interior of the line. He can be of use on special teams, though, and in 2025 even registered a blocked punt that he recovered himself and returned 12 yards.
What is his growth potential? Given his limitations, Keenan evolving as a player seems unlikely. That said, he needs to make sure to properly prepare himself for NFL competition and continue relying on what made him a good player in college: his instincts and ability to hold the line of scrimmage. If he can do that, he will find a role even if he fundamentally remains the same type of defensive lineman he was at Alabama.
Why the Patriots? With Khyiris Tonga now a Chief, the Patriots have nobody on their roster in a similar mold; at the moment, 319-pound Eric Gregory, who checks in at 6-foot-3, is the heaviest player on the team. Keenan would take over the Tonga role and give New England an experienced player who performed at a solid level against the top competition in college football.
Why not the Patriots? Just because he was a trustworthy player in the SEC, does not mean Keenan’s game will translate to the NFL. He doesn’t have the length nor the agility you would ideally see, which in turn might prompt the Patriots to look elsewhere either in the draft or on their current roster.
One-sentence verdict: He might not be the tallest, or the longest, or the player with the most impressive production, but Keenan is a classic lunch pail type defender who will simply come in, do his job and contribute in a positive fashion.
For more information about Tim Keenan III and the rest of this year’s class of prospects, please take a look at Adam’s 2026 NFL Draft Guide.
Also, what do you think about Keenan as a potential Patriots target? Do you like him? Where would you pick him? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
