Meet Keelan Doss

By Vic Tafur May 3, 2019  17
Normally,​ if​ you’re a young​ football​ player​ and​ Jon Gruden calls your house​ a couple​ of times, you’re​ elated.​ But​ Keelan​ Doss​ was still​​ mad.

The UC Davis receiver had gone undrafted after many projected him to go in the fourth round. But Gruden not only told him that he wanted him, but the Raiders coach also told Doss that had a good chance to make the roster.

Did we mention that Doss grew up in Alameda as a Raiders fan?

Yeah, he will be there when the Raiders have their rookie minicamp on Friday.

“Coach Gruden really came after him,” agent Carmen Wallace said in a telephone interview Thursday. “Keelan had a lot of other opportunities, but really felt good about that week they had together at the Senior Bowl.”

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Doss set school records at Davis for touchdowns (29) and all-purpose yards (4,218). Everyone told him he was going to be drafted.

He had people over to his home in Alameda on Friday night for a two-day NFL Draft party. He thought he was going to be picked in the fourth round — Day 3 on Saturday — but you never know, right?

After all, everything he had heard was positive, and NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah had Doss ranked as the 99th-best prospect overall.

Doss never imagined he wouldn’t get picked at all, but there he was, staring at his TV dumbfounded. Apparently, teams had been scared away by a pectoral injury.

“We were definitely surprised he wasn’t drafted,” Wallace said. “But he has a tremendous opportunity there. Plus he has a great rapport with the rest of the staff and felt he had a head start on the offense.”

Doss sustained the injury during the bench press at the NFL scouting combine in February, and even though doctors advised against it, he ran a 40 at his pro day on April 5 — and ran a good time at 4.45.

“He did everything he could have done to get drafted,” Wallace said.

Fourteen teams called on Saturday afternoon to try and sign Doss to a free-agent contract, with Gruden calling more than once.

The phone calls were recorded by Sports Illustrated for a short film called “Next Level.”

Gruden not only said that Doss had a good chance to make the roster, but promised him a lot of preseason snaps as he planned to hold out Antonio Brown from the preseason games.

“You know our offense,” Gruden told Doss. “You know what we’re all about. You fit this system. I’m just telling you, I think you have a good opportunity to make this team.”

Gruden went on to tell Doss that he can play any of the Raiders’ three receiver positions.

“You’re smart, you’re big, you’re tough and you can run a lot of routes,” Gruden told Doss.

Besides Brown, the Raiders have Tyrell Williams, Ryan Grant, J.J. Nelson, Dwayne Harris, Marcell Atman, Keon Hatcher and fifth-round pick Hunter Renfrow at receiver.

Gruden got his man, and UC Davis coach Dan Hawkins said he got a good one.

“He’s off the charts,” Hawkins told the Sacramento Bee last month. “He graduated in December, and the guy could walk into anyone’s business right now and be a pro. He happens to be a professional football player. …

“He comes in early, leaves late. He studies the playbook. He’s dependable. Takes care of business. That’s the guy you want babysitting your kid, marrying your daughter.”