Jaden Keller eyes a linebacking role in New York after Virginia Tech production

New York’s offseason personnel work has brought another lower-profile linebacker prospect into the mix, with the Jets signing former Virginia Tech inside linebacker Jaden Keller as an undrafted free agent. The move matters because, in the NFL, UDFA class depth often shapes what a team can do in training camp, especially at linebacker where roles can be carved up by special teams ability, coverage feel, and the ability to play assignment football without losing leverage.

Keller’s college resume points to the kind of production coaches like to see from a linebacker who can be trusted week to week. According to scouting research published around his path to the Jets, he was listed at 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds and played five college seasons at Virginia Tech. He started 17 games across that stretch, and his tackle totals rose sharply when he became a full-time centerpiece of the defense.

The most telling statistical year in that arc came in 2024. Keller led Virginia Tech with 83 tackles across 13 games, including seven starts, and he added a pass defensed and two fumble recoveries. The following season, he continued to contribute as a starter and produced 50 tackles in 11 games, along with 2.5 tackles for loss, half a sack, a pass defensed, and a forced fumble. The pattern, as described in the scouting breakdown, is consistent with a player who can own space when offenses are forced to compress, and then finish when gaps open.

Keller’s role at Virginia Tech also included off-ball coverage responsibilities. The scouting notes frame him as a player who, in college, often worked in an assignment that pulled him into slot or wide coverage tasks, a skill set that can translate to NFL nickel and third-down packages. That matters for a team like the Jets because linebacker value is increasingly tied to who can cover without drifting out of run-fit responsibilities.

His route to the league was not built through draft capital. The scouting report states Keller was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine and was not viewed as likely to be drafted. After securing no undrafted free agent deal initially, he attended the Jets’ rookie minicamp on a tryout basis, then earned a contract after that opportunity. For roster-building, that sequence suggests New York saw enough on the field to justify continuing the evaluation process beyond the first look.

From an athletic standpoint, the scouting write-up highlights that Keller posted numbers at his pro day that suggested he could move well enough to keep up with NFL tempo. The same research says he ran a 4.51 in the 40-yard dash, recorded a sub-seven second three-cone drill, and posted 21 bench press reps. Those details do not guarantee a roster spot, but they help explain why a team might invest in an UDFA linebacker whose college work showed tackling production.

What to watch next is how Keller fits into the Jets’ linebacker rotation during offseason work, particularly in drills that test coverage discipline and quick diagnosis. With veterans and established depth likely to command the early reps, Keller’s best short-term leverage should be special-teams readiness and how cleanly he can run assignments when the defense communicates quickly. If he translates the Virginia Tech off-ball responsibility into NFL positioning, his path to meaningful practice-week value becomes clearer.

The larger takeaway for Jets fans is that this addition reflects the team’s continued reliance on athletic, productive college linebackers who slipped through the draft process. Keller’s college numbers and the movement traits highlighted in scouting research make him an understandable target for a team building competitive depth, even if the leap from redshirt freshman development to NFL roster security is never guaranteed. Keller’s next step is earning trust in the details that coaches cannot measure on a stat sheet.