Grading the Pick: Kyu Blu Kelly

With the 157th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens selected cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly out of Stanford, surprising many by waiting until Day 3 to add a corner to their defense.

Kelly’s selection was warmly received by our panel, with the 6-foot-1, 188-pound cornerback receiving praise for his coverage skills, particularly his football I.Q. and press ability in coverage. He doesn’t have an especially high ceiling in the NFL, though, and earned a cumulative grade of A-/B+ from our analysts.

Nikhil Mehta

Grade: A+

The Ravens get top marks for picking my preferred Day 3 CB in the fifth round. This is fantastic value for one of the premier press specialists in the 2023 CB class with solid length and excellent footwork at the line of scrimmage. Kelly lacks the size and long speed to be a true CB1 in the NFL, but his all-around athleticism, coverage skills and press ability give him a surprisingly high floor. Kelly is patient and comfortable in off-man and zone but will need to improve his ability to transition in some of Macdonald’s match coverage schemes. His lack of ball production shows up on tape; though competitive at the catch point, he struggles to turn his head and locate the ball consistently. Kelly comes into the NFL with most of his playing experience on the outside, but he’s a candidate to slide into the slot with his short-area movement and mirroring skills. He’ll need to tap into more physicality to do so, as he struggles to attack ballcarriers and take on blocks against runs and screens, though he’s a competent open-field tackler. Kelly is smart, experienced and tough with an excellent foundation of skills that he can build on to quickly become a solid CB2 on his rookie contract. I absolutely love this pick.

Alternate pick: Luke Wypler

I wouldn’t do anything differently here, but if forced to, I’d take Ohio State center Luke Wypler, aka Tyler Linderbaum-lite. He’s actually a bit heavier than Linderbaum, but he’s similarly athletic and undersized who wins blocks with toughness and a good feel for leverage. He’d be a solid backup immediately at one of the more sneaky-scarce positions in the league, though I’m not sure about his ability to play guard.

Jared Pinder

Grade: B+

Seeing Kelly here so late was a surprise even if I wasn’t his biggest fan. My main issue with Kelly is his lack of top speed which limits what kind of system he can play in. With the Ravens though I feel a lot more confident in his potential because he is going to have to work his way up and fix his issues. He plays great man coverage, but he does have some issues that caused him to fall. Still, a solid corner that can press and play man coverage this late in the Draft is valuable. Overall a good pick with a solid floor.

Alternate pick: Chris Smith III/Antonio Johnson

These two players would be excellent value in the late rounds, and both play the same role: strong safety that can bring an edge to the defense with run stuffing ability. The issue with these picks is that these guys would be depth and probably wouldn’t be rookie starters, but Day 3 guys aren’t supposed to be, anyway. Either could have been a good replacement for Chuck Clark and pushed Geno Stone in camp.

Grading the Pick: Trenton Simpson

Zachary Siegel

Grade: A-

If your resident All-Pro Marlon Humphrey is begging you to turn in the draft card, then you can rest assured that you are making the right decision. Kyu Blu Kelly, aside from having a very unique name, played all four seasons at Stanford and in his senior season he recorded 35 total tackles, five pass deflections, and a pick. While he is not the most physically gifted player out there, he is a cerebral player and more often than not puts himself in positions to win battles and make plays. Kelly suffered an injury that made some NFL general managers nervous, but clearly the Ravens liked what they saw on film and at the combine and so did I. He dealt with some issues being beat off the ball and this would lead to some broken plays, but that can be fixed with some coaching and if the Ravens do anything well, it is developing defensive players. I do not necessarily believe that he will immediately have an impact on the field, but if the Ravens experience any injuries and for the sake of depth his presence will be felt. If Kyu Blu Kelly can develop on the path that he is currently on, then I think the Ravens have a very special player in their midst.

Alternate pick: Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson

THT played at a very high level for the Horned Frogs last season and TCU had a historically good year. THT had a very large role in the team’s success and I believe that it will translate nicely to the next level. As all day three defensive backs do, he struggled to keep up with some of the better competition out there. But if he finds himself in the right situation, he could be an impactful player in the future.

Kevin McNelis

Grade: A-

Kelly was a pleasant surprise based on his availability here. There was a steep drop off at the top of the CB class, but Kelly is a sharp guy with great bones to his game. Between the supporting cast in Baltimore and the acumen of the defensive staff, he may end up becoming a diamond in the rough.

Alternate pick: Jaelyn Duncan

Duncan is a bit of a project as well, but it would’ve been a cool story to land a hometown product from Maryland. Duncan’s addition would’ve been a nice swing tackle with experience at Guard, adding a body to the competition for the starting spot.

Rob Shields

Grade: B+

The KBK pick finally brought a corner to the team via this year’s draft. The fan base was clamoring for one although once they went Zay Flowers in the first, it was unlikely they would get an impact guy for 2023. KBK is another draft pick that has an elite RAS score and has some upside. Being a Stanford guy should mean he’s smart too. He likely starts on special teams and we will see if he can be a fit there while he works his way into the rotation at the corner spot. Whether or not he can get himself amongst Keyvon Seymour, Jalyn Armour-Davis and Pepe Williams remains to be seen and I suspect another vet is brought in at corner but he should make the team.

Alternate pick: Tre’Vious Hodges-Tomlinson

Another CB and much smaller than KBK. He is more of a slot guy with no likely chance at being outside, especially because of his size, but he was a big part of a good TCU defense and he had a solid PFF grade.

Cumulative grade: A-/B+

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