All that’s left for Jakobie Keeney-James to do is demonstrate exactly why he deserves a shot at football’s highest level. At Wednesday’s UMass pro day, the Minutemen’s leading wide receiver in 2024 did just that.
Representatives from seven NFL teams and one CFL franchise congregated in Amherst, Massachusetts to evaluate 22 former Minutemen taking part in the event. Keeney-James wasted absolutely no time cementing himself as the star of the show.
The Redlands, California native commanded the spotlight with a blazing 4.37-second 40-yard dash. Out of the 39 wide receivers invited to the 2025 NFL Combine, just five ran the sprint faster than Keeney-James did. He opted to forgo an additional attempt, as he was visibly satisfied with his initial run.
“I was able to hit that 4.3, that was my goal,” Keeney-James said. “… As I was running, it kind of felt like I was flying a little bit. [How] Usain Bolt describes that feeling, I felt that. I was able to kind of lock into that mode and execute it.”
The 6-foot, 191-pound wideout’s speed was striking, but it was far from his only area of expertise. His 4.05-second 20-yard shuttle, a drill that primarily measures change of direction quickness, would have ranked No. 1 at this year’s NFL Combine. Keeney-James’ 40.5-inch vertical jump would have ranked at No. 3.
Most wide receivers choose not to participate in the bench press, leaving that event to the much larger offensive and defensive lineman. For reference, eight of the 49 receivers invited to the combine dared to take part. Keeney-James joined the shrinking bench press contingent of players at his position.
“I’m a competitor, I wanted to prove not only to myself, but to the world, that I’m one of those ones,” Keeney-James said. “I’m one of those guys that I’ve always been a sleeper, I’ve always been an underdog. I wanted to prove to the world that I’m one of those guys. I knew if I hit a good number like 17 [reps], I’m top three and that was my goal.”
The Eastern Washington transfer arrived at UMass after appearing in five seasons for the Eagles. He amassed 825 receiving yards on 61 receptions at his former school. In one single season with the Minutemen, Keeney-James surpassed his previous career total, picking up 839 yards on 50 catches.
Keeney-James’ efficient day took place in front of representatives from the New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets and Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He has also spoken with the Los Angeles Chargers. Now, he has his sights set on the 2025 NFL Draft, which will take place from April 24-26.
“The next step of my career is I hope I get drafted,” Keeney-James said. “I hope I can get a team that can take an opportunity on me and believe in me like UMass did, they took a chance one me and it paid out. So, just looking for a team to love me, give me a new home and I’m gonna give them everything I got.”
Outside of the measured physical tests, Keeney-James also went through various receiver drills at pro day. His releases were quick and his crisp cutting ability was on display, just as it was during his final collegiate season. After a long 12 games, each of which he caught multiple passes in, Keeney-James was laser-focused on rehab and recovery. Across the last three months, he trained for eight hours a day, six days a week and followed strict meal plans to prepare for pro day. The hard work was evident on Wednesday.
“I kind of felt like Rocky Balboa for a minute, like I’m about to get in a boxing fight, but it was all worth it,” Keeney-James said of his preparation. “… I think when I came out here, I was able to show people I could run every route in the book. I could catch any ball I need to catch. I can go catch the ball and make somebody miss after. If you need to me to block, I’m [going to] go in there and block.”
The wide receiver entered his lone year at UMass without a 100-yard game under his belt. He overturned that fact with a career-high 150 yards on four catches in an overtime loss to Miami (OH) in September, including a 64-yard touchdown reception down the right sideline. Two months later, he produced a highlight heard around the college football world. In a matchup with No. 10 Georgia, Keeney-James rose up between two defensive backs and hauled in an unbelievable catch, which he also ran down the right sideline for a 75-yard touchdown. He hopes his 2024 film is enough to convince an NFL team to take a low-risk, high-reward chance on him.
“You won’t be able to control the uncontrollables, but you can control the controllables,” Keeney-James said of his biggest lesson learned at UMass. “Every day, go to work. Every rep, go to work. Every weekend, go to work. So for me, it was really getting that mental of whatever I had in front of me, I’m [going to] take it down and I’ll control what I can step by step.”
Cameron Pellegrino can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @cam_pellegrino.
