Playing in the shadows of All-American offensive tackle Chad Rinehart, Keith actually developed into a better athlete than his more heralded teammate. The massive drive blocker with an incredibly long wing span and hands the size of baseball mitts has excellent quickness for a player his size.

Needing to dispel concerns about his character and work ethic, it was commonplace to see Keith be the first player at the team facilities in the mornings, working on a cardio program that kept his weight in check and helped improve his overall flexibility.

Blessed with natural strength, he produced one of the better performances in the weight room at the NFL Combine, putting up 225 pounds 31 times. In a recent workout for NFL teams on campus, he clocked 4.98 seconds in the 40-yard dash and produced a 32-inch vertical jump with a 9'5" broad jump. That is impressive for any athlete, much less one of his size.

At McAlester High School, Keith was rated the second-best player in the state of Oklahoma by Rivals.com in 2002, who also rated him the 20th-best offensive tackle in the country. He earned first-team All-State honors from the Daily Oklahoman and the Tulsa World in 2002.

That year, Keith tallied more than 70 pancake blocks, helping the team compile an 11-1 record on the way to playing in the state semifinals. The team also went 8-4 and reached the second round of the playoffs during his junior campaign.

Recruited by Texas A&M, Florida and Nebraska, Keith enrolled at Oklahoma University in 2003, but left the left before the season. He enrolled at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College that year, spending two seasons at the school, playing for the football team in 2004. That season, he garnered NJCAA All-American second-team honors.

Having left Oklahoma once, the Sooners coaches were a bit reluctant to let Keith return to the team in 2005, remembering the issues they had with him in 2003. Those character issues were again front-and-center that season, as he became increasingly frustrated about not playing. He was suspended and requested a release from the program, leaving Oklahoma without ever suiting up for the university.

Keith transferred to Northern Iowa, where he was eligible to play in 2006. He played in a total of seven games, starting at right tackle in two contests, but a right knee bone bruise would sideline him for the rest of the year.

As a senior, Keith earned All-Gateway Conference first-team and Associated Press third-team All-American honors. He started 11 of 13 games at right tackle, grading 81.8 percent for blocking consistency, as he registered 71 knockdowns with 11 touchdown-resulting blocks.

Still, his time at NIU was not without drama. He had an issue with the training staff after missing a rehabilitation workout in 2006. Tempers were soothed when it was revealed that the reason for his absence was due to the death of his grandmother. After a stellar performance at the NFL Combine in February, followed by an early March Pro Day workout that was just short of sensational, Keith's draft stock continued to soar.

Then, in mid-March, Keith was arrested along with two other Northern Iowa football players. He was charged with rioting, disorderly conduct and interference with official acts in the incident at a local rental facility that can be used for private events. Officers from the Cedar Falls, Waterloo and University of Northern Iowa police departments, and the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Department responded to numerous fights in progress inside and outside the Main Event Center, in Cedar Falls, according to the Cedar Falls Police Department.

Positives: Has an excellent wing span with very large hands, using both with efficiency to make reach blocks and lock on to his opponent with force … Massive, thick-framed athlete who lacks muscular development, but has good leg drive, and for a player of his size, he flashes good suddenness in his movements off the snap to engage, lock on and ride out the edge rushers … Delivers a punishing hand jolt and shows the foot agility to stay with his blocks moving upfield … Has good balance and body control, showing good knee bend, as he can sink his hips and extend his arms properly while shuffling his feet to retreat in pass protection … Does a good job of getting into position and sustaining blocks, as he has the natural strength to move defenders off the ball … Easily generates movement off the snap and works especially well with his guards on traps … Light on his feet, showing adequate lateral slide on the pull … Has the size to root out the defender and clear huge rushing lanes … Takes proper angles and demonstrates good body control to square up on linebackers when stalking in the second level … Shows good hand usage to keep defenders off his body and away from the pocket with his long reach … Plays with good aggression and has a nasty attitude in attempts to finish blocks … Generates a punishing hand punch and is surprisingly nimble shuffling his feet to mirror edge rushers … Has no problems moving side-to-side in the short areas and sets up to block with good urgency coming out of his stance … With his ability to move well laterally, he could shift inside to guard at the next level … Even when he bends at the waist, he has the natural balance to recover … Fires off the ball quickly on drive blocks and is quick to get his hands up and punch in pass protection … Does not leave his feet behind or fall off blocks when on the move … No longer grabs at the outside shoulders of the defenders, thanks to improved hand placement.

Negatives: For all of his power and quickness, he should be more of a mauler, but he will get into a rhythm where he tries to out-finesse his opponent rather than obliterate them … Plays until the whistle, but even with a cardio program instituted by the coaches to keep his weight in check, he more often than not will run out of gas late in games and needs to improve his overall stamina … Gets into trouble when he tires, as he reverts to over-extending and lunging at defenders, rather than wait for the attack to come to him … When he waist-bends in pass protection, he loses his balance by keeping a narrow leg base … Some of the coaches questioned his mental toughness in the past (at Oklahoma) and he has had several instances where character and maturity have been found lacking … Has had a long history of weight problems … Shows only adequate quickness and ability to redirect … Late to recognize coverages and needs more than a few reps to retain plays … School does not come easily to him and he must be more alert to stunts and twists … Shows good pop on contact, but only adequate hip explosion when he starts to bend at the waist, rather than at the knees … Has only adequate feet to mirror defenders and marginal knee-bend … Despite his timed speed, later in games his feet just seem to die when he has to slide in pass protection … Will bite on double moves and gets turned around some trying to mirror quicker one-gap defenders.

Compares To: STOCKAR McDOUGLE-ex-Jacksonville … Keith has a great wing span and impressive quickness for a player his size, but also has stamina issues, mostly due to a less than spectacular frame. His work ethic runs hot and cold, as he easily gets frustrated by off-field issues. He needs to mature off the field and work harder on his conditioning. With his size and trap blocking skills, he could develop into a devastating pulling guard.

2006: Suffered a right leg bone bruise and a torn right patella tendon, sitting out the Indiana State (10/14), Youngstown State (10/21), Western Illinois (10/28) and Western Kentucky (11/04) games … The injury causes tendonitis to flare up occasionally.

2007: Sat out the Southern Utah game (11/17) for an undisclosed injury (unconfirmed reports indicate it was a right hamstring pull).

2008: Could not complete agility tests at the NFL Combine due to a hamstring strain.

Campus: 5.18 in the 40-yard dash … 4.98 40-yard dash (wind-aided) … 1.76 10-yard dash … 2.85 20-yard dash … 4.84 20-yard shuttle … 7.91 three-cone drill … 32-inch vertical jump … 9'5" broad jump … 450-pound bench press … 460-pound squat … 300-pound power clean … 35 1/8-inch arm length … 10 5/8-inch hands … Right-handed … 13/33 Wonderlic score.

Combine: 5.27 in the 40-yard dash … 1.87 10-yard dash … 3.02 20-yard dash … 26-inch vertical jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 31 times.

Attended McAlester (Okla.) High School, playing football for head coach John Homer … Rated the second-best player in the state of Oklahoma by Rivals.com in 2002, who also rated him the 20th-best offensive tackle in the country … Earned first-team All-State honors from the Daily Oklahoman and the Tulsa World in 2002 … That year, Keith tallied more than 70 pancake blocks, helping the team compile an 11-1 record on the way to playing in the state semifinals … The team also went 8-4 and reached the second round of the playoffs during his junior campaign.

General Studies major … Son of William Childs and Lynn Keith … Born 11/21/84 in Silsbee, Texas … Resides in McAlester, Oklahoma.