MOBILE, Ala. — The Las Vegas Raiders could use some extra beef in the middle of their defensive line, as nose tackle is one of the Raiders’ needs heading into the 2026 NFL draft. That should put Alabama’s Tim Keenan III, who stands at 6-foot-1, 332 pounds, on the team’s radar. So, let’s get to know Keenan a little more, as I got a chance to sit in on his press conference during the Senior Bowl.
Q: How do you think your background has helped you coming into this week?
TK: I know I’m battle tested, so this ain’t nothing but putting that belt on the line and showing what I’m made of. So I don’t really have a problem with going against good competition. I have homefield advantage, too. I know we’re not in Birmingham (Keenan’s hometown), but it’s Alabama, so I’m good.
Q: What do you want to show this week?
TK: My leadership, how I get guys going, how I make everybody’s job around me easy, and just disrupting. Showing my speed and having some really nice reps in one-on-ones.
Q: What’s one thing that you need to improve on as a player and show at the Senior Bowl?
TK: My pass-rush ability. [The NFL scouts] know I can pass rush, I can collapse the pocket. But just giving them no 50/50, no questions about me.
Q: Why was it important for you to get out here and throw yourself in the fire even though your talent and tape speak for themselves?
TK: To show I can compete in anything and put that belt on the line. You can say you’re the best and this and that, but are you willing to come put your abilities to the test in front of other people who might say they’re better than you? Come put your showcase on the line.
Q: Growing up, when did you know you were going to be one of the biggest dudes on the field?
TK: Probably at like eight years old, something like that.
Q: Is this (330 pounds) your playing weight that you’re at right now?
TK: It fluctuates between 320 and 330.
Q: Do you feel more comfortable in an odd or even front system?
TK: I don’t feel uncomfortable in either one. So as far as the scheme, I know I’ll be able to adapt to whatever.
Q: What does football mean to you, and how has it helped you grow as a person?
TK: It means the world to me. From the structure, the teamwork, the principles and the discipline it brings, it’s amazing. The things that you learn from it, that you take into your everyday life, I feel like it’ll be hard to live without football.
Q: What’s something you take away from Bama?
TK: Excellence is a must. You must be excellent in everything you do, and if you’re not excellent, you got to be great. So it’s a high standard for a lot of stuff.
Q: How is your experience at Alabama going to help you in the NFL?
TK: Playing in two systems. Playing in Coach [Nick] Saban’s system, where there’s a lot of checks and audibles, and then just being able to line up and play in [defensive coordinator Kane] Womack’s system, I had the best of both worlds. So now I’m able to adapt to anything.
Q: Who are some guys who you like to watch in the NFL and try to model your game after?
TK: The Bama guys, especially Quinnen Williams and Daron Payne. Maliek Collins and Aaron Donald, also.
Q: What have you taken from them?
TK: Malik Collins, the way he sets people up in his pass rush. Quinnen Williams, just how he’s efficient and a technician. Daron Payne, his power and his ability to run to the ball. Aaron Donald, he speaks for himself.
Q: Do you have a relationship with the Bama guys, Williams and Payne?
TK: I definitely do, especially being from Birmingham and all, the same city [they’re from]. I can hit them up to get insight on what I need to learn. They are the greatest big brothers ever.
Q: What’s the key to being a good run defender?
TK: Mentality and pride. You gotta be a different type of man. You’re gonna get two 6-foot-5, probably 330-plus-pound men trying to put you on your back in front of your mama. So it’s like, what are you gonna do at this point? You know, your girlfriend or somebody may be watching. You aren’t gonna do me like that. That’s just really what it is, mentality and pride.
Q: What work did you put in to make sure you have the good hand work that you do have?
TK: With me being 6-foot-2, I ain’t 6-foot-5, so I ain’t got the arm length that some of these guys have. Some of these guys can touch their knees standing up. So, I have to make sure I get my hands inside, get them on the offensive lineman quick, because the first person that strikes and gets their feet across the line, they win.
Q: What does it say about you that you don’t have the typical height but are still making your way to the NFL?
TK: It shows the dog in my heart. At the end of the day, Goliath was an 11-foot giant, and David was a little boy. You know who got the win at the end of that. So I’ve been slaying giants all my life. Sometimes I had a lot of stuff that I was dealing with, so I’m ready for adversity or whatever.
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