Why 49ers Should Target Former Navy QB Keenan Reynolds

The San Francisco 49ers will likely be looking for offensive weapons this offseason. One dark-horse candidate they should consider is former Navy QB Keenan Reynolds.

If there is ever a post that captures my past life and hobby in one page, it’s this post. As a 10-year Navy veteran and Surface Warfare Officer (and hardcore Navy football fan), I have a keen interest in seeing if and where this next player ends up.

One of the most underrated prospects heading into the offseason that the San Francisco 49ers should not pass up is former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds. Whether they draft him in the late rounds or sign him as an undrafted free agent, the 5’11”, 205-pound former Navy standout is worthy of serious consideration.

And no, not to be a quarterback.

The current NCAA rushing touchdown leader (88) has a future in Chip Kelly’s offense as a zone-read running back compliment to Carlos Hyde or as the inside slot receiver in the spread offense.

This is but one example of how Reynolds broke the single season touchdown record. Here Navy lines up in their traditional flexbone formation to run the inside zone read. Keenan pulls the ball out of the fullback’s hands after the defense crashes the middle and takes an outside lane for a 58 touchdown run against Army in the 2015 Army versus Navy game.

Keenan_Reynolds_58yd_TD_run_Army_Navy_Game /

Gif source: ESPN College Football

First, lets get into a little background on who Reynolds is and his career progression and why it is necessary to understand just what the 49ers would be investing in.

Reynolds entered his freshman year at Navy as the fourth string quarterback, but by the Navy versus Air Force game, had become the full-time starter due to injuries at the quarterback position. He led Navy to bowl game as a freshman and never looked back, playing in a bowl game four straight years, beating Army four straight years, capturing the NCAA rushing touchdown record, and becoming the first Heisman Trophy candidate at Navy since Roger Staubach won it in 1963.

Very few Midshipmen ever get a chance to play in the NFL, however, due to the required service commitment (minimum of five years) immediately upon graduation. Reynolds would join only a handful of Naval Academy alumni to ever dress for an NFL team.

His current service selection is Information Warfare (the Navy intelligence and information specialists) and he’ll most likely have to serve at an approved location near whichever NFL team selects him.

There are options for him to serve out this commitment near Santa Clara.

It is not unprecedented for midshipmen to serve their country and be successful in the NFL. Former Naval Academy Midshipman and current New England Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona, selected in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft, was on the 53-man roster all season and serves his Navy commitment at nearby Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island. Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick said of Cardona:

"It’s hard enough to be a rookie in this league when this is your only job. He has two jobs, so that’s more challenging, but that’s something that people like Joe, who have been in the Naval Academy, have experience with — time management, multi-tasking, doing different things and handling different levels of responsibility physically, mentally and emotionally."

The 49ers can expect the same tireless work ethic with Reynolds.

Reynolds will most likely be asked to play running back or wide receiver for whichever NFL team elects to sign him or draft him.

We can see his versatility in one of the staples of the Navy triple option: the inside zone. You may recall my earlier article on the

inside zone running scheme

. The same principles apply, though Navy adds their own flair with a bit of misdirection.

Navy Inside Zone /

The 2013 Army versus Navy game provides some great examples of the Navy inside zone run, which was featured primarily against an over-pursuing Army defense.

Note the similarities to the basic inside zone run I wrote about a few weeks ago: the double team blocks, blocking a “zone” or “area” rather than a specific man. The give is to fullback Quinton Singleton up the middle for 58 yards.

December_14_2013_Army_vs_Navy /

Inside zone1 sky cam /

Gif source: CBS Sports

Nothing highlights Reynolds shiftiness and athleticism than when he keeps it on the zone read, finds a seam, and sprints toward the endzone.

Again, from the same Army-Navy game, Navy punishes an Army defense pinching inside to stop the inside zone run by running an outside zone. The principles for the outside zone run are the same, but the lineman blocking technique is slightly different in that they use a “rip and run” technique to either pin defenders inside (rip) or run them to the sideline (run).

Navy OZ1 /

Navy OZ1A /

Gif source: CBS Sports

Reynolds would be a great addition to the 49ers backfield or receiving corps this season. He has the athletic ability to make plays in space, has great vision, and is a natural leader. He adds versatility and uniqueness to an already eclectic offense under Kelly that seeks to exploit it’s players best talents.

Reynolds is very elusive in the open, which is why it is not unthinkable to see him playing the slot receiver in Kelly’s offense. Kelly’s passing game stretches the defense from sideline to sideline with a number of horizontal and vertical stretches (Something I will cover at a later date).

Add Reynolds to the mix, with a receiving corps that features Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin and you have a potentially deadly passing attack.

Why The 49ers Should Draft or Sign Former Navy QB Keenan Reynolds

By Rich Madrid | Mar 3, 2016

The San Francisco 49ers will likely be looking for offensive weapons this offseason. One dark-horse candidate they should consider is former Navy QB Keenan Reynolds.