Breaking News: Just in Tennessee Volunteers Confirm The Departure Of Another Top Experience Star Player

NFL Draft 2024: Undrafted Tennessee wide receiver Ramel Keyton contracts with the Raiders
Ramel Keyton, a wide receiver from Tennessee, is an undrafted free agent waiting to make his NFL debut.

Ramel Keyton, a wide receiver from Tennessee, was given a chance to play at the next level even though he was not chosen in the 2024 NFL Draft over the last three days. The Las Vegas Raiders signed the former four-star prospect, who spent five seasons playing for the Vols, as an undrafted free agent, the team announced on Saturday night. Before the weekend, Keyton was expected to be a priority free agent and was not selected in any of the 257 draft rounds.

Keyton concluded the previous season with 35 catches for 642 yards and six touchdowns, starting all 13 games.

At Tennessee’s Pro Day last month, he measured in at 6-foot-2 and 191 pounds. He also had a 4.47-second 40-second speed, a 33.5-inch vertical jump, and a 10-foot, 4-inch broad jump to put himself in the running to be selected by an NFL team.

Keyton choose Tennessee over Auburn, Penn State, Ole Miss, Florida, Georgia, Clemson, and other schools following a prep career in which he gained over 3,300 yards and 33 touchdowns. However, as a freshman in 2019, he saw little action as part of a loaded wide receiver room. (At that time, the Vols had redshirting seniors Brandon Johnson and Cedric Tillman, as well as future NFL wideouts Jauan Jennings, Marquez Callaway, and Joshua Palmer). Keyton didn’t do much behind the Jennings-Callaway-Palmer combo, but he did show flashes of brilliance with a 41-yard reception in the victory over Mississippi State and two catches for 60 yards in a start for the suspended Jennings in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.

During the pandemic-affected 2020 season, Keyton made three starts; nevertheless, he only caught nine passes for 76 yards and did not participate in Tennessee’s disappointing three-win campaign. In 2021, he only had seven receptions for 72 yards as a reserve.Keyton only managed 20 catches on 39 targets for 252 yards over the course of three seasons.

With Tillman, fresh off a breakout season, and transfer Bru McCoy as its starting wideouts, he entered the 2022 season as a backup. However, Tillman’s ankle injury in the third game of the season put Keyton into the starting lineup, and he performed admirably most of the time. He had five catches for 78 yards in the win against Alabama, two touchdown passes against UT Martin, and a full-extension diving catch for a 43-yard gain shortly before halftime that was a part of a game-swinging touchdown drive in the victory against Florida. With four catches for 76 yards and the game-winning 46-yard touchdown in the Orange Bowl victory over Clemson, Keyton wrapped up the season.

Tennessee’s passing game lacked effectiveness and explosiveness last season, so if the 2022 season was about the plays Keyton made, then the previous season was about the plays he didn’t. Despite this, Keyton still achieved career highs in yards and catches, led the Vols with six touchdown catches, and averaged 18.3 yards per grab (third-best in the SEC). However, he only caught 35 of 63 targets, had four drops, and only caught four of 11 challenged targets, according to Pro Football Focus. Nine out of the 13 games saw Keyton catch three passes or fewer; however, he scored touchdowns in three consecutive games during the preseason (Vanderbilt, Florida, and UTSA) and had a breakout performance in his last game at Neyland Stadium, hauling in four receptions for 122 yards and two scores.

Keyton caught 86 receptions for 1,456 yards and 11 touchdowns with a 16.9-yard per-catch average in 55 games for the Vols, starting 24 of them. Now, he’s looking to succeed at the next level.