5 things to know about Keith Abney: Lions’ best value pick

In the fifth round, the Detroit Lions got what most will say was their biggest steal of the draft in Arizona State cornerback Keith Abney. Here’s what you need to know about the team’s newest defensive back.

1. He went WAY later than many projections

Many draft analysts had Abney as high as a Round 2 pick. He was listed as Dane Brugler’s 61st best player in this class. Trevor Sikkema had him 53rd, Lance Zierlein had him 85th, and Daniel Jeremiah had him 98th—all well above the place where Detroit took him: 157.

On the Wide Left consensus big board, Abney ranked 61st overall—making this one of the best value picks of Day 3.

2. He’s a DAWG

At 5-foot-10, 188 pounds, Abney is an undersized cornerback. But he makes up for it with a tenacious attitude and a physical style of play. It’s not hard to draw comparisons to Amik Robertson, who spent the last two years in Detroit playing both the nickel and outside before signing with the Commanders this offseason. In Detroit, it’s unclear whether he’ll play primarily on the inside or outside, but the Lions are likely to lean into that versatility.

When talking to him at the NFL Combine, he rejected any categorization of him as a zone corner. Here’s what he said were his two most underrated aspects of his game.

“My tackling or my man coverage,” Abney said. “I think a lot of guys view me as a zone defender, but if you turn on the tape, I do a great job (in man).”

Abney earned a 9.07 on our Grit Index, ranking him third among cornerbacks in this year’s class.

3. He had a bit of a penalty problem

As it typically goes with a physical corner, Abney found himself on the end of a lot of penalties in college. According to PFF, Abney was called for 13 penalties in the last two seasons as a starter for the Sun Devils.

But Detroit likes their corners playing on the every edge of physicality, so I’m not sure they’ll view that as much of a negative.

4. He was a competitive inline skater as a kid

Though he doesn’t do it anymore, Abney was a speed skater as a child. His website as an 11-year-old speed skater is actually still up here. If you want to see just how fast he was as a skater, check out some clips below:

5. The Lions have been one of his favorite teams

During his post-draft Zoom call with local media, Abney revealed to Detroit reporters that the Lions have been one of his favorite teams. That made his unexpected wait in the draft worth it.

“Man, the wait don’t even matter, man. I’m just glad to be a Lion,” Abney said. “It means everything. It’s a great program, great culture, great coaches, great people around .I’m just blessed to be here. I’m feeling all the emotions, man. Dropped a couple of tears. It’s a dream come true. It’s a dream come true and the Lions just happen to be one of my favorite teams, so everything’s working out alright.”