Packers Sign Kyu Blu Kelly: Scouting Report on Green Bay’s New Cornerback
The Packers add a 2023 fifth-round pick to their defensive backfield.
By markoldacres
The Packers have a new cornerback after claiming Kyu Blu Kelly off waivers from the Seahawks on Monday.
A four-year starter at Stanford, the 22-year-old was selected in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Ravens but did not make the team in training camp.
Green Bay’s secondary has been depleted in recent weeks by injuries to Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes, as well as the trading of Rasul Douglas.
In particular, the Packers need outside corners, with Keisean Nixon manning the slot. Kelly was a true perimeter corner in college and fits the athletic profile the Packers have traditionally coveted.
Kelly’s pre-draft athletic testing earned him an 8.76 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) out of a possible 10 compared to previously drafted corners, featuring ‘great’ scores for speed and explosion, and ‘good’ size at 6’0” and 191lbs.
The claiming of Kelly continues a trend for the Packers regarding the 2023 draft class. Brian Gutekunst made a habit of selecting players who had a better 2021 season than 2022, and the same goes for Kelly.
In 2021, Kelly had two interceptions, 11 pass deflections, a forced fumble, and 58 total tackles, compared to zero picks, six deflections, and only 35 tackles in his senior year.
Strengths
Kelly’s athletic testing showed up on tape at Stanford, where his movement skills allow him to easily stay in phase with receivers on their routes in man coverage. His 10-and-20-yard splits in the 92nd and 88th percentile respectively help in that regard.
He has quick feet which means he can stick to wideouts at the line of scrimmage, changing direction smoothly to mirror them. His explosiveness off the line is backed up by a broad jump ranking in the 95th percentile.
With a combination of size and effort, Kelly is serviceable in run defense, and his length means he can take on bigger receivers.
Kelly’s ball production, featuring 17 pass deflections in his final two college seasons, is promising. His experience shows on the field, as Kelly looks comfortable and communicates effectively with teammates in zone coverage.
Weaknesses
There are some weaknesses in Kelly’s physical makeup as well as some strengths. Although his speed grades well overall, and his 4.52s 40-yard dash is far from pedestrian, ranking in the 62nd percentile, he can be beaten deep by speedier receivers.
Kelly’s length is not quite matched by his mass. 191lbs falls in the 60th percentile for cornerbacks, so he is not light by any means, but he is more willing in run defense than he is effective.
His tackling lacks physicality and he struggles to disrupt wide receiver screens thrown to his side of the field. In coverage, Kelly’s prime area for improvement is his press ability. He can be seen missing completely with his initial punch and too often fails to impact his receiver.
In terms of agility, Kelly’s pre-draft grade was just ‘okay’, featuring a short shuttle in just the 33rd percentile. He is not a candidate to play in the slot and appears limited to the outside.
Overall
Kelly is a talented and experienced corner with good length and movement skills, who appears comfortable in both man and zone.
There is work to be done to refine him, and there are elements of his athletic profile which will limit him, and the fact he has been waived by two NFL teams already is a concern, but there is plenty of evidence to indicate Kelly can become a solid NFL corner.
He could easily have been drafted earlier than the fifth round, potentially early on day three or even late on day two, and given the Packers’ need at the position, he is a worthwhile pickup.
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.
__________________________
Mark Oldacres is a sports writer from Birmingham, England and a Green Bay Packers fan. You can follow him on twitter at @MarkOldacres
__________________________
Comments (27)
Packers0808
November 13, 2023 at 06:17 pm
Innis Gaines cut to make room for Kelly. Interesting as just being called up.
LeotisHarris
November 13, 2023 at 06:23 pm
https://www.packers.com/news/packers-release-s-innis-gaines-2023
LeotisHarris
November 13, 2023 at 07:58 pm
Nice edit!
Packers0808
November 13, 2023 at 09:29 pm
Yes did it before your post. Saw it on another site first.
SicSemperTyrannis
November 13, 2023 at 10:56 pm
Was it Gaines' third call up?
Coldworld
November 13, 2023 at 11:19 pm
Yes. He was elevated for the first two games I think.
Bear
November 13, 2023 at 06:47 pm
Strengths
A starter in each of his four seasons at Stanford.
Father, Brian, played defensive back in the NFL for 11 seasons.
Possesses desired size and length as outside corner.
Adequate shadow response to press release.
Technically sound footwork in his pedal and match.
Above average leaper on jump balls.
Size and length to constrict catch area.
Weaknesses
Lacks desired makeup burst when beaten.
Struggles to stay connected with wideouts through the route stem.
Average route anticipation and closing burst on the throw.
Rarely turns to find the football once back is to the quarterback.
Below average physicality as a downhill tackler.
Needs to play with better determination in run support.
Minniman
November 13, 2023 at 08:07 pm
Thanks Bear - there are some legit red flags somewhere to chuck a 1st year draft pick....... and Baltimore has standards for defense toughness that are non-negotiable.
It sounds like, unless there's a major departure from your post, that we should pray that we don't hear his name again.
Maybe Gute is hoping to snag another Rasul 2.0 diamond in the rough.
Coldworld
November 13, 2023 at 11:24 pm
He didn’t have a great summer, but they were trying to sneak him to their PS. Seattle grabbed him.
He is thought to be more of a central prospect at the NFL level. He does give us a cb with that capability now Douglas has gone. The rest are all more suited to the perimeter. He’s supposedly better in man though Barry. He is supposed to be good at reading plays. I hear the Rams also tried to claim him. Seattle needed space for guys coming off IR. He’s not thought of as a particularly good STer, which is interesting.
TKWorldWide
November 13, 2023 at 06:58 pm
He’s got a cool name.
SicSemperTyrannis
November 13, 2023 at 10:58 pm
Kelly blue book value
PeteK
November 14, 2023 at 07:48 am
Low mileage, body in good shape, ,affordable price, but sluggish 4 cylinder motor.
mnbadger
November 14, 2023 at 12:37 pm
only two wheel drive, though it is front wheel drive.
GPG!
splitpea1
November 13, 2023 at 07:56 pm
Let's not get too excited. From a Ravens website called the Ebony Bird:
"Considering the Ravens invested a draft pick in Kelly it was a bit surprising that the team cut him. However if you watched him on the field it was not a shock in any way. He was downright bad and could not move up the depth chart...He even led the Ravens in special teams snaps, showing the team gave him every shot. He was also the worst-graded special teamer...The decision to draft Kelly is obviously an all-timer in terms of how bad it was. Baltimore decided within a few months that he was not even going to be in their long-term plans. That says a lot."
I'm not going to prejudge a player I've never even heard of, but I just thought I'd provide a realistic backdrop to this signing. It appears to be a total shot in the dark, the super-deluxe version of an athletic draft-and-develop fantasy; but who knows, miracles do happen sometimes.
NickPerry
November 13, 2023 at 08:11 pm
"In coverage, Kelly’s prime area for improvement is his press ability. He can be seen missing completely with his initial punch and too often fails to impact his receiver."
You'll be safe here Mr. Kelly. Your ole DC Joe Barry doesn't much care for press coverage round here. He prefers playing about 8-10 yards off so your "Initial Punch" doesn't even matter! In Joes scheme you have down is 2 down-linemen, a couple of guys standing up on the edge, a few more of those ILB type behind the 2 down-Linemen, and then a whole bunch of you fast, high RAS scoring, light in the ass, no tackling DBs make up the balance.
WHAT a scheme!! AND he plays it on ANY down and distance. Brilliance I tell you.
Guam
November 13, 2023 at 09:59 pm
Thank you NP, I had many of the same thoughts myself. This guy's poor run tackling will fit right in with the rest of Barry's defense.
4thand10
November 14, 2023 at 09:31 pm
LOL, and rather sad but true NP.
Ryan3468
November 13, 2023 at 08:24 pm
Green Bay is getting to the point of the season where you can’t over complicate things. Do what you practice and start completing things you set out to do. They should be out of questions and searching for results. Nothing outside of playing the Bears has really been pretty, but they remain in games and have had some nice plays the last few weeks. I’d like to see some continued improvement, and dishing out more opportunities to folks who have been achieving expectations in games.
jhtobias
November 13, 2023 at 08:49 pm
Joe Berry is going to use him as a nose tackle and Lafluer will defend the move
Racingdad
November 13, 2023 at 10:08 pm
Comments by mlf today should be moving HIM and barry closer to the door !! I’m wondering if mlf and Joe b can share a moving van as tgey seem really tight
herringbur
November 13, 2023 at 10:08 pm
There is work to be done to refine him, and there are elements of his athletic profile which will limit him
Crazedcamel
November 14, 2023 at 06:36 am
Gaines play on special teams and D when activated was more valuable than any of the contributions that Leavitt gives this team. I realize that Leavitt is supposed to be a special teams savant, but I have yet to see it since he has been in Green Bay. Now that Leavitt 2.0 (Zayne?) is healthy, Leavitt should have been the one released.
T7Steve
November 14, 2023 at 08:51 am
I think they had to release Gains or sign him to the 53. They released him and will hope to be able to sign him back to the PS. New guy is an experiment and disposable body to fill the spot in the meantime. He might have a chance to prove his attitude and be desperate enough to make a splash.
mnbadger
November 14, 2023 at 12:41 pm
damn, as little as I've seen or heard from leavitt, I thought he WAS gone.
He should pack and drive the coaches' moving van out of GB as soon as possible.
GPG!
Via.Lombardi
November 14, 2023 at 08:25 am
Don't hold your breath. He's been let go by two teams this season.
HarryHodag
November 14, 2023 at 11:05 am
I always chuckle when I see the term 'pedestrian' used to measure foot speed.
If two folks ran a 40 yard dash, the difference between a 4.3 guy and a 4.5 guy is barely a blink. A guy that is 4.3 will not 'run past' a guy that is 4.5. There's something in the equation called football sense. A good corner negates the overall speed.
Most of you are too young to remember Bob Hayes, in the 1960's considered the "Worlds Fastest Human".
He was drafted by the Cowboys who thought he would run past all defenders for easy touchdowns. The Packers corners, Adderley and Jeter neutralized him because his football skills were far behind theirs.
mnbadger
November 14, 2023 at 12:43 pm
Great point Harry, it wasn't until BHayes got hurt and had to learn how to run routes and become a receiver that he really flourished.
By then, his gold medal sprint skills became more "pedestrian" and his football skills carried him to the HOF.
GPG!