2023 NFL Draft Profile: CB Kyu Blu Kelly

The Giants are likely going to add to their cornerback crew. How might Stanford's Kyu Blu Kelly fit in?

Kyu Blu Kelly, CB

Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 188 lbs
Class: Senior
School: Stanford

A former three-star recruit from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. The renowned high school program has also produced football players Nick Gates, Ronnie Stanley, DeMarco Murray, Xavier Grimble, Grey Ruegamer, and UFC commissioner Dana White. Kelly was the fourth-ranked Nevada recruit and the 68th-ranked cornerback during the 2019 recruiting cycle.

Notables

Kelly’s father, Brian Kelly, was an 11-year NFL cornerback drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft out of USC. Brian Kelly helped the Buccaneers win Super Bowl XXXVII, where he was tied for the lead in interceptions that season (2002).

Kyu Blu Kelly was highly touted coming from Bishop Gorman; he received All-State honors twice and was All-State track and field in 2017. He did not receive a scholarship from his father’s alma mater, but the tall, wiry CB took his talents to Silicon Valley.

Kelly was second-team All-Pac-12 in 2021, receiving the Gundelach Award (most outstanding junior on the team). He finished his time at Stanford with 147 tackles, 1.5 for a loss, three interceptions, 13 passes, a sack, and a forced fumble. He allowed only a 58.7% catch rate in college, with a 52.4% rate in his senior season.

Strengths

• Very long cornerback, expect his arm length to be over 32”
• Good athlete for his size/length
• Good overall burst coming forward with solid speed and agility
• Played over 100 snaps in the slot in 2021 - fluid enough to have success there against bigger WRs and slot-TEs
• Stanford had the confidence to leave him on an island and to handle the backside WR in 3x1 sets
• Has Press-man ability, albeit it can be ironed out
• A lot of quality experience in man coverage - sticks to the hip pocket out of quick breaks in the short to intermediate parts of the field
• Surprisingly quick out of breaks when hips aren’t flipped - good closing burst
• Does a solid job staying in phase on horizontal breaking routes
• Solid overall ability to flip his hips for a CB of his size
• Did well to attack through the catch point in 2021, but that wasn’t as evident in 2022
• USC 1st&10 Q1, 3:24 vs Drake London 2021
• Great job as a flat-foot read DB; reacts well to routes underneath him in the red zone
• Does well to click & close with good burst out of his breaks
• Smoothly receives routes from the backside in match & zone
• Oregon 2nd&18 Q3, 1:52
• Solid overall transition ability out of breaks, albeit he could do a better job locating the football
• Very competitive
• Good Notre Dame and Arizona State tape

Weaknesses

• Thin and wiry, more physical wide receiver may give him issues
• Wish he was a bit stronger
• Gets too grabby out of breaks
• Inconsistent finding the football with his back turned in 2022
• Showed the ability to locate versus Arizona State (Q2, 7:07, 1st&10)
• Also did it several times in 2021 - missed too many opportunities in 2022
• High-cut, twitchy wide receivers could give him issues
• Was susceptible to the big play on an island (Jack Bobo UCLA, Jordan Addison USC)
• Fluid, but has to be disciplined with feet/hands in press to prevent quick WRs to stack
• Wish we saw him employ the jam more in press
• Slight improvement from 2021 to 2022 when carrying vertical routes, but still needs work
• Lost vertical responsibility in blind-spot a few times in zone turn
• Struggles to determine the angle into the tackle when he’s not square to the target
• Some frustrating missed tackles in 2022 - needs to be more balanced

Summary

Kyu Blu Kelly has the traits to be a starting CB in the NFL. His length, size, and movement skills will interest defensive back coaches around the league. Can play in a man coverage scheme and does well operating within ten yards of the line of scrimmage. 

I would like to see him locate the football down the field better than he did in 2022. Can also play zone due to his ability to break on routes underneath him; he had some zone mishaps in 2022, but he also displayed positive processing ability throughout his tape.

Kelly also made impactful plays in key moments, showing excellent mental toughness (2022: 4th&3 Q2, 12:57 vs. CAL, 3rd&9 Q2, 7:18; 2021: 4th&5 Q4, 3:18 vs. WASH). He’s not fully polished yet, but there’s an upside with Blu Kelly. Although he’s played in the slot and outside, his best NFL fit is outside. 

The 2023 NFL Draft is rife with CB talent, and Kyu Blu Kelly is in the day two conversation. He’ll be at the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl, where he can showcase his talent in front of the NFL world in Mobile, Alabama.

GRADE: 6.35 

Nick Falato

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