Keith Randolph Jr., IDL Illinois: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Randolph was a three-star defensive end recruit from Belleville West High School in Belleville, Ill. in the class of 2019

There’s something in the water in Illinois because the Fighting Illini have several stud defenders for the second straight draft cycle. Defensive lineman Keith Randolph Jr. was an All-Big Ten selection in 2022 and projects as an early Day 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

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Keith Randolph Jr., IDL Illinois: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt junior interior defensive lineman from Belleville, Ill.

Background: Randolph was a three-star defensive end recruit from Belleville West High School in Belleville, Ill. in the class of 2019. He was the No. 673 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 637 for On3.com. Randolph was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 76 grade out of 100. He committed to Illinois over offers from Florida State, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue, Rutgers, Virginia, and several non-Power Five programs. Randolph lettered in football twice and basketball three times at Belleville West. He won two state titles as part of the basketball team but didn’t start playing football until his junior year of high school. As a senior, Randolph tallied 56 tackles, including nine tackles for loss and seven sacks, on his way to First Team All-South Western Conference, 2018 Class 7A IHSFCA All-State, and 2018 USA TODAY First Team All-USA Illinois honors. He was born on Sept. 1, 2001.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed two games with a right knee injury in 2021

Awards: 2021 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (Media), 2022 Third Team All-Big Ten

Pros: One penalty in the past two years, frame has room to add mass, plays with a wide base in run defense, strength to anchor against linemen pushing vertically, strength to hold the point of attack, out-leverages lineman as he flows down the line to the ball, splits linemen and slips through gaps, quick arms and hands shed initial blocks on way to the football, sudden upper body, fires hands into lineman’s chest, fires hands suddenly, hands are heavy and pack some knockback power, long-arm move, swim move, bull rush, push-pull move

Cons: Only one season with more than 500 defensive snaps, arm length is adequate but not elite, not a sudden or twitchy athlete, not explosive off the line of scrimmage, lacks pursuit speed, foot speed, lacks the bend to be an edge rusher, hip stiffness, not a fluid athlete, lower body tightness limits his agility and change of direction skills, pad level rises quickly, doesn’t offer much against double teams, pinballs around but not an efficient pass rusher, limited pass rush impact on a down-to-down basis

Overview: Randolph has an impressive resume for an athlete who only began playing football as a high school junior. With more room to add mass to his frame, Randolph hasn’t reached the final evolution of his role as a football player. He lines up everywhere from 5-tech to 2i for Illinois but looked most at home playing 4i and 3-tech. Randolph operates from a wide base in run defense. He has the strength to anchor against a lineman pushing vertically in the run game and flows down the line to the football while playing through contact. Randolph’s ability to hold the point of attack against double teams is questionable, but he holds up in one-on-one situations. His pad level rises quickly after the snap, but Randolph fires his hands into the lineman’s pads from a low angle, which allows him to establish leverage. He splits linemen and slips through gaps into the backfield. The former three-star recruit uses his quick arms and hands to shed initial blocks on his way to the football. He has a sudden upper body with hands that fire into the lineman’s chest before the offensive player reacts. Randolph’s hands are heavy and pack some knockback power. He utilizes long-arm, swim, and push-pull moves and a bull rush. His sudden upper body and hands are contrasted by stiff hips and slow feet. Randolph would be one of college football’s most threatening linemen if his lower body played at the same speed as his upper half. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Randolph is not an explosive, sudden, or twitchy athlete. He lacks the bend to play edge rusher and has adequate but not elite arm length. The Illinois native’s agility and change of direction skills are sapped by his tight lower body. He doesn’t have the straight line speed to offer much in pursuit. Randolph pinballs around as a pass rusher and doesn’t make a significant impact as a rusher on a down-to-down basis. He lacks the explosiveness to capitalize on successfully executed pass rush moves.

Overall, Randolph is an above-average run defender who excels at shedding the first block with his electric upper body, but he lacks the athletic profile to be a productive pass rusher. The redshirt junior projects as a versatile rotational defensive lineman at the next level.

Role & Scheme Fit: Defensive end in a 3-4 scheme

Round Projection: Late Fourth to Mid Fifth

Size: 6'5", 305 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 03-23-23