Keith Abney II

The Player

Abney is an undersized corner with short arms, but he plays bigger than his size, and he has the tape of a day-two selection. He’s a physical press corner who reroutes receivers. He smoothly turns and runs with receivers. He didn’t run at the combine but reportedly ran in the mid-4.4s at his Arizona State pro day. He had five interceptions and 21 passes defended over the past two seasons. He breaks well on the ball, takes excellent angles, and launches himself in front of receivers. He splits high-low route combinations, passes off receivers, and plays the ball instead of the man in zone looks. He tracks the ball well and has good hand-eye coordination.

Abney’s a reliable wrap-up tackler who steps up in run support and limits production after the catch, but his size and length are concerning. Bigger receivers gain separation from him with strength at the top of their routes. Abney is competitive and can make plays in contested situations, but he’s not built to regularly come down with 50-50 balls. As a run defender, he gets stuck on blocks. He almost exclusively played on the outside at Arizona State. He projects as a nickel in the NFL. He gets grabby, and he was penalized 13 times over the past two seasons, according to PFF. He bites on double moves, and he doesn’t have great recovery speed. 

The Draft

Abney is in the mix to be a top-10 corner. He almost exclusively played on the outside at Arizona State but projects as a nickel in the NFL.   

The Projection 

A good comparison for Abney is Upton Stout, a 2025 third-round pick who is coming off a promising season playing nickel back for the 49ers. Stout moved to nickel as a senior in college but primarily played wide corner prior to that. Abney and Stout have similar frames, length, speed, and competitive playing styles.