Ramel Keyton Makes Initial 53-Man Raiders Roster

Former Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Ramel Keyton has made the initial 53-man Las Vegas Raiders roster after going undrafted.

Tennessee wide receiver Ramel Keyton (9) runs the ball during a football game between Tennessee and Vanderbilt at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. / Hannah Mattix/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Former Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Ramel Keyton has made the initial 53-man Las Vegas Raiders roster after going undrafted.

Former Tennessee wide receiver Ramel Keyton is officially a rostered NFL player heading into his rookie season. While it's been a rewarding, fruitful journey, Keyton had to go through a lot of adversity before he got this opportunity.

The blue-chip Georgia recruit signed with the Volunteers as a member of the 2019 recruiting class, joining the program to play for head coach Jeremy Pruitt. During his senior season at Marietta High School, Keyton logged 44 receptions for 694 yards and ten touchdowns, earning US Army All-American honors. He enrolled at the University of Tennessee in January 2019 before appearing in 12 games as a true freshman.

While Keyton consistently found his role as a special teams player and reserve wideout, he only logged four starts through his first three seasons on Rocky Top. Tennessee went through a coaching change, hiring head coach Josh Heupel before Keyton's junior season. Keyton found himself as an upperclassman without much tape and a coaching staff that didn't recruit him, but he didn't let that phase him.

Keyton put in a lot of work during his last two seasons with the program, becoming a starter for his fourth and fifth seasons in college. He tallied 66 catches for 1,204 yards and 11 touchdowns during those final two seasons, enough to get on the radar of a few NFL teams. He landed a rookie minicamp deal with the Las Vegas Raiders and has continued to make the best of that opportunity.

Ramel Keyton. WOW.

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He made many plays throughout the preseason that made the Raiders seriously consider if they would actually roster the undrafted free agent. Keyton had four catches for 76 yards in their preseason finale, a loss to the San Francisco 49ers. He had what may have been the catch of the preseason and cemented himself on Las Vegas's initial 53-man roster, which was announced on Tuesday.

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• Jaylen Williams Cuts Recruitment to Four Schools
• Tennessee Vols Football Could Make Playoff According to CFB Data Model

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