New England Patriots: Dalton Keene has the Patriot Way in his veins

The New England Patriots loved tight end Dalton Keene so much that they made a historical trade to move up in the 2020 NFL Draft to get him.

The New England Patriots finally drafted a tight end. Actually, they drafted two tight ends and actually moved up in the draft to get both of them.

While most NFL mock drafts had tight ends like Notre Dame’s Cole Kmet and Florida Atlantic’s Harrison Bryant commonly linked to the Patriots, the team found two tight ends in UCLA product Devin Asiasi and Virginia Tech product Dalton Keene who may turn out to be big wins in looking back at this draft.

In fact, it is Keene selected 101 overall who is the prototype Patriot player who will quickly win over fans due to his versatility and upside. In trading a future draft pick to move up to get him, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick sees things in Dalton Keene others may not see just by looking at him.

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It is the things we don’t see that makes him a good fit and a find for a team desperate for tight end production in both the blocking game and passing game. Here’s what the coach had to say during his video conference call with the media:

"“I mean, when you watch Dalton play, you just don’t see a lot of things that we do. The Virginia Tech offense didn’t really translate too much to a New England Patriot offense. That’s not uncommon with other players as well. It is what it is. I think the things you saw him do, which was his blocking, his effort to block, his toughness, ability to make plays with the ball in his hands, and certainly the intent of the offense to get him the ball was impressive.”"

Belichick went on to note his versatility and ability to play in the backfield and the different ways the Patriots may be able to use him. As his strength, athleticism and toughness certainly stands out, it is his football intelligence that has the Patriots head coach eager to work with him.

Overall, the numbers at Virginia Tech doesn’t stand out. During his college career, he caught 59 total passes for 748 yards and eight touchdowns. He also ran the ball 11 times for 33 yards, so there is some fullback ability in him.

Drawing comparisons to San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, the 6-foot-4, 252-pound Dalton Keene is destined to find more of his niche and production in the NFL, especially playing under a coach like Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator like Josh McDaniels.

It is because of the way the New England Patriots move their tight ends around that makes Keene a great fit. Plus, he already sounds like a prototype player in how he is ready to embrace the Patriot Way entering the NFL.

"“I’ll start off with the Patriot Way, one that I have in the back of my mind just because I love the culture so much,” Keene said during his conference call. “The winning culture and just taking it day by day and working hard. I think that really reflects me as a player. My Coach just texted me today, Coach [Justin] Fuente, and he said basically that ‘I have the uncanny ability to go to work every single day’. I thought that’s something that really reflects on this program as well.”"

Sounds like Bill Belichick and Dalton Keene are on the same page with the “Do Your Job” motto. Every new player is going to say all the right things, but as he has translated on the field as well as his post-draft comments, Keene has the Patriot Way already flowing through his veins.

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That will set him apart as a quality draft pick and a player the coaches and fans will love for years to come.

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