Bears signed Illinois DT Keith Randolph.
Randolph (6'4/296) is a deliberate mover who is solely focused on his single gap assignment, resulting in 144 tackles over the last three years. He lined up as the 4i away from the back for Illinois, holding down a spot across from Jer’Zhan Newton. The two-time All-Big Ten honoree does not have the burst to be a disruptive penetrator. Rather, his go-to approach is to work a blocker with technique and maintain gap integrity. Randolph is only an average athlete with average size, scoring below the 60th percentile in all of the standard Combine events for a middling 4.83 RAS. Without a true winner of a trait, he will have to demonstrate versatility and leadership to stick on the roster of whichever team drafts him. While the motor runs hot, Randolph’s closing ability leaves much to be desired. This likely resulted from the rapid physical development he experienced since high school, gaining almost 80 pounds. This development does show up in his anchor, however, as he maintains good play leverage and rarely gives up his body leverage. Randolph projects best as a rotational early-down run stopper from the three tech in an even front. Perhaps losing weight will allow him to better fit as a five tech in an odd front.
