Philadelphia Eagles take Michigan offensive guard Trevor Keegan in the fifth round
Michigan’s takeover of the 2024 NFL Draft continued Saturday when offensive guard Trevor Keegan went to the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round. Keegan, a 6-5 1/2, 310-pounder, proved to be one of the grittiest guards in recent memory and leaves a national champion.
A former four-star recruit out of Illinois, Keegan started 37 games at left guard the last three years, helped lead the Michigan lne to back-to-back Joe Moore Awards, three Big Ten titles, and a national title in his final three seasons. He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches in 2022, and second-team by both the coaches and media in 2023.
More of a road grader run blocker, Keegan became much better in pass protection by his last season, allowing no sacks and only one quarterback knockdown on 382 pass-blocking snaps (per Pro Football Focus). He went from 163rd in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency grade in 2022 to 62nd in 2023, from 152nd in pass blocking to 39th.
“This guy is steady and dependable and has a competitor’s spirit and a mean streak to him,” ESPN’s Field Yates said on the draft broadcast. “He was described to me as ‘offensive line coach smart.’ Obviously, when you play for the great Sherrone Moore on that Joe Moore offensive line, you have to have some smartness to you. That showed up for him and he finds his place late in the fifth round.”
Matt Miller added: “When I was at the Michigan pro day with coaches, they said his ability to process.. he never gets rattled because he has a plan. That’s what shows up on his tape. He’s a rugged player. He’s going to put you on your back. The toughness, the physicality is absolutely there. The foot quickness and athleticism is not a big part of his game, but in a man blocking scheme, he’s going to have the goods to hang there.”
Louis Riddick chimed in: “I think he’s fantastic. I don’t think there are any issues. I know he only ran a 5.24 40, but I thought this guy if he could just stay down and not get too tall, especially against power, he can reach, get up and climb and get out to the perimeter and his competitive temperament, he has all of it. I put some choice words down here to describe his competitiveness. I can’t read them on TV, but I will tell you they are in support of Trevor Keegan. I thought he would be a starter his rookie season.”
Keegan almost left after the 2022 season, but he knew coming off the field he couldn’t leave on that note. He and his teammates came back for one last shot at a national title, got it, and now get the chance to try to fulfill their NFL dreams as national champions.
“It was super hard,” Keegan told Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches podcast of bypassing the draft last year. “You grew up your whole life wanting to go to the NFL…when it’s in the grasp of your hands, you didn’t want to take it. But after talking to family, friends, coaches – you realize that, maybe another year at Michigan can help me even more in the future.
“So, that process took a while, talking to people and figuring it out There’s people that say go, stay, go, stay…and it messes with your head. Finally, you just make a decision on your own, and I felt like this was the best decision for me.”
It was … and now, he’s got a chance to add to his career legacy at the next level.
