By: Michael Higgins

School: Stanford (Senior)

Position: CB

HT: 6’1

WT: 190 lbs

Sideline Prospect Ranking: #45

Kyu Blu Kelly was a 3-star prospect out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He attended and played for one of the most prestigious football schools in the country, Bishop Gorman High School. Despite not being a 5-star, he has been on the national radar for a while now, and the status of his high school football team only amplified that. Kyu’s father, Brian, played his football at USC before enjoying an 11 year NFL career that was mostly spent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kyu Blu Kelly was named to back-to-back All Pac-12 Teams in 2021 and 2022 at the defensive back position.

Despite only being listed at 190 lbs, Kelly plays significantly larger than his measurements would suggest. He is a physical corner that loves to line up close to the line of scrimmage, invading the receiver’s personal space. He does well to get his hands into the body of the receiver and disrupt the beginning of the route. Kelly’s physical nature is also what makes him so successful at forcing receivers to the boundary on a consistent basis. Kelly does well to stick to the hip of his opponent and can close in on the ball to make plays. When playing zone, even though it  may not play into his strengths, Kelly reads the quarterback’s eyes well and can close in on the target to either prevent any yards after the catch or to disrupt the pass entirely. Kyu Blu Kelly is a positive player in run defense as well. He can read what is happening at the mesh point and react accordingly from his position. When tackling, many cornerbacks just throw their arm or shoulder out in front of the ball carrier in hopes that will be enough. Kelly does not fall into that category, though. He is a tenacious tackler, wrapping his long arms around the ball carrier and wastes no time in bringing them to the ground with abrupt force. His interception numbers do not jump off the page, but his ball production is there. He only accumulated 2 interceptions in his junior season and none in his senior season, but he has tallied plenty of passes defended. Eventually, if he keeps getting his hands on the ball, the turnovers will come.

Kelly does have problems with hip tightness. When twisting his hips and transitioning from a backpedal to a sprint, he has a bit of a rocky process that can lead to him losing his balance and the receiver creating some separation. Additionally, while Kelly is an elite man coverage corner, he is deficient when his defense is in zone coverage. He has his good moments and his bad moments in zone, but his bad moments have him looking completely lost on the football field. His overall instincts and feel for the entire field and his defense have to improve in order for him to be a scheme versatile corner.

Kyu Blu Kelly is a physical man coverage cornerback who can be a positive player on all three downs. He has had an uphill climb and a poor team around him that have not made it easy for him to improve his draft stock, yet he has. If he is drafted into the proper scheme, there is no doubt that he can take the league by storm right away. There will be a team who takes him on Day 2 that will have the opportunity to have an elite man coverage cornerback that leaves opposing receivers on an island.

Scheme Fit: Press Man Coverage

Ideal Role: Boundary Cornerback

Best Team Fits: DEN, PIT, MIN

Player Comparison: AJ Terrell

Player Grade: 79.9