Navy QB Keenan Reynolds will get NFL shot, but at what position?
Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds, who finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2015 and who finished his career with an FBS-record 88 career touchdowns, is receiving some legitimate NFL interest.
But not as a quarterback, that we know of anyway.
Who cares? When Bill Belichick comes and works you out, along with a cavalcade of New England Patriots coaches along with him, as was widely reported this past weekend, it pretty much tells you that Reynolds is going to get a shot — at some position — in the NFL.
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One of the most decorated Midshipmen football players in the past several years, the 5-11, 205-pound Reynolds started 50 games at quarterback for the Mids but scored more rushing TDs (88) than he had TD passes (31) and ran for more yards (4,559) than he passed for (4,001). Despite an impressive TD-INT ratio of 31-8 and an impressive yards-per-attempt average over his career of 9.2, Reynolds never will be considered an NFL quarterback, at least not a traditional one. He lacks the arm strength or precision (52.4 completion percentage against defenses designed to stop the triple-option run game) to be anything but a change-of-pace, trick-play type of QB in a pinch.
So where, then?
Reynolds was invited to the East-West Shrine Game, where he played running back and looked, by most accounts, just OK. But that was a first audition. Some feel he could be a better receiver (likely in the slot) even though he caught only one college pass (for 47 yards on a trick play in his final college game). Others say he has to make an impact as a returner to make an NFL roster.
He’s not blazingly fast or elusive, and Reynolds’ 32 fumbles (18 lost), even while handling the ball thousands of times per season in an option-based offense, is a bit alarming. He also has had to battle through a few injuries this offseason but put up good pro day workout numbers once he got a shot. Reynolds did 15 reps on the 225-pound bench press, vertical jumped 37 inches (which would have been top 30 at the combine at any position), 10 feet on the broad and a respectable 40 time of 4.57 seconds.
But what Belichick and other NFL evaluators have been most attracted to are Reynolds’ rare intangibles. Simply put, he’s the kind of young man you root for. He’s been hailed as an exceptional leader with elite leadership skills and work ethic — even by Naval standards — and appears willing to do whatever he’s asked to by the team that drafts him. And the belief at this point is that, Reynolds will be drafted — can you imagine Belichick, who has reverence for the Naval Academy having grown up around the football program, not using one of his 11 picks on Reynolds if some other team doesn’t first?
Reynolds joined The Tim Murray Show on Yahoo Sports Radio on Sunday and confirmed the Patriots workout and said that he worked out “at everything,” which could even include defensive back. Perhaps Reynolds has a little Troy Brown and Julian Edelman (a college QB who also had one college reception before the NFL) to him, although we also love NFL Network’s Charles Davis and his Reynolds comp of former NFL return ace Brian Mitchell, who had a similar body size and skill set as the Navy QB.
Oh, about that military service thing. We checked with the Navy on this, and it’s a case-by-case basis. Like Patriots 2015 fifth-round pick Joe Cardona, a long snapper, whether Reynolds must serve immediately, if he has it tabled or if he can pull double duty and serve on days off and during the offseason is a decision made by the Secretary of the Navy, according to spokesman Scott Strasemeier.
But it’s likely that Reynolds will get his crack in the NFL, starting next season. It will be fascinating to see how high he goes and at what position(s) he’ll be tried out.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
