Keytaon Thompson

Keytaon Thompson
Personal information
Born: (1998-10-23) October 23, 1998 (age 26)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:217 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Landry-Walker
(New Orleans, Louisiana)
College:Mississippi State (2017–2019)
Virginia (2020–2022)
Position:Wide receiver
Undrafted:2023
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Keytaon Kaylen Thompson (born October 23, 1998) is an American professional football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Virginia. He previously played quarterback at Mississippi State.

Early life

Thompson attended L.B. Landry College and Career Preparatory High School in New Orleans, Louisiana.[1] He played quarterback in high school. As a senior, he was the Gatorade Football Player of the Year for Louisiana after passing for 3,825 yards with 46 touchdowns and 1,434 rushing yards with 26 touchdowns.[2] For his career, Thompson had 10,737 yards of total offense and 149 total touchdowns.[3] He committed to Mississippi State University to play college football.[4]

College career

Thompson played quarterback at Mississippi State from 2017 to 2019. As a true freshman in 2017, he spent the year as a backup to Nick Fitzgerald.[5] He made his first career start in the 2017 TaxSlayer Bowl in place of an injured Fitzgerald.[6] He led the team to victory against Louisville, completing 11 of 20 passes for 127 and rushing for 147 yards with three touchdowns.[7] He played in nine games as a backup to Fitzgerald in 2018 and made one start. In 2019, he played in one game and took a redshirt.

Thompson transferred to the University of Virginia in 2020.[8][9] He played wide receiver at Virginia.[10][11] In nine games in 2020, he had seven receptions for 98 yards and three touchdowns.[12] In 2021, Thompson started 10 of 12 games and led the team with 78 receptions for 990 yards and two touchdowns.[13]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 3+7⁄8 in
(1.93 m) 		218 lb
(99 kg) 		33+3⁄8 in
(0.85 m) 		10+1⁄4 in
(0.26 m)		 4.66 s 1.66 s 2.63 s 4.35 s 7.12 s 34.5 in
(0.88 m)		 10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)
All values from Pro Day[14]

Detroit Lions

Thompson was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent on May 12, 2023.[15] Thompson was waived by the Lions on May 25, following the acquisition of Riley Patterson.[16]

Orlando Guardians

The Orlando Guardians acquired Thompson's XFL playing rights on August 3, 2023.[17] He signed with the team on October 30.[18] The Guardians folded when the XFL and USFL merged to create the United Football League (UFL).[19]

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

On January 30, 2024, Thompson signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL).[20] He was released on May 12, 2024.[21]

References

  1. ^ Rod Walker. "Mr. Football: Landry-Walker quarterback Keytaon Thompson makes his mark on and off the field". NOLA.com. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  2. ^ Rod Walker. "Landry-Walker's Keytaon Thompson wins Gatorade Player of the Year award". NOLA.com. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  3. ^ Mike Barber. "Coach who faced new UVA QB Keytaon Thompson says he could be better than Bryce Perkins". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  4. ^ "Early Commit: QB Keytaon Thompson to Mississippi State". ESPN.com. December 19, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  5. ^ Sammon, Will. "Mississippi State invests in present by playing true freshman quarterback Keytaon Thompson". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  6. ^ "TaxSlayer Bowl: Freshman Keytaon Thompson leads Mississippi State past Louisville". Los Angeles Times. December 31, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  7. ^ Smits, Garry. "A star is born: Mississippi State freshman out-duels Heisman winner in TaxSlayer Bowl". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  8. ^ "QB Thompson transfers from Miss. St. to Virginia". ESPN.com. May 1, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  9. ^ Horka, Tyler. "Mississippi State quarterback Keytaon Thompson transfers to Virginia". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  10. ^ "He was signed as a quarterback, but after an injury Virginia's Keytaon Thompson excels in new role". Daily Press. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  11. ^ Greg Madia. "The making of a 'football player': How Keytaon Thompson became UVa's do-it-all star". The Daily Progress. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  12. ^ "'Things worked out for the best' for Keytaon Thompson at UVA". Augustafreepress.com. July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  13. ^ "We haven't yet seen the best out of Virginia wideout Keytaon Thompson". Augustafreepress.com. April 8, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  14. ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Keytaon Thompson College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  15. ^ "Lions sign three 2023 NFL Draft selections". DetroitLions.com. May 12, 2023.
  16. ^ "Lions agree to terms with the Jacksonville Jaguars to acquire K Riley Patterson via trade". detroitlions.com. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  17. ^ "XFL Transactions". www.xfl.com. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  18. ^ "Five players sign letters of intent with XFL". XFL.com. October 30, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  19. ^ Seifert, Kevin (January 1, 2024). "Newly formed United Football League sets 8 markets, tabs coaches". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  20. ^ "Transactions - Football Player Trades and Signings". CFL.ca. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  21. ^ "Keytaon Thompson". Footballdb.com. Retrieved August 11, 2024.