Former NC State Great Steve Keim: "Dave Has Done A Phenomenal Job"
Former NC State standout offensive lineman and current Arizona Cardinals GM Steve Keim recently spoke with Inside Pack Sports about the Wolfpack program and much more!
NOTE: Keim was at NC State’s final camp session with his son, Carson Keim, a 2024 offensive line prospect.
What is it like being back in Raleigh and at NC State? Obviously you return for draft workouts, but this has to be a different experience with your son camping at your alma mater.
It's been two years, and it's been surreal.
No. 1, to bring my son back and to have him sort of go through this experience and just seeing Raleigh, the university... driving through the campus. It's just made so many strides, aesthetically, over the years
It's been fun for me to see, but sort of brings you back to the moments and the time that you spent here and the drive in and seeing the trees and all the greenery, which we don't have a lot in Arizona.
It's a pretty special time for me.
Is it different or unique having your son go through this process?
Yeah, he'll be a sophomore next year. It's so different because he goes to the biggest school in the state of Arizona, 4,100 students, Hamilton High School. Obviously, not a lot of kids from Arizona would come this way, but NC State's in his blood, too, so it's a dream of his to play here one day, hopefully.
This experience, for him, sort of kicks it off and gives him a taste of what it's like to put the helmet on and to be in the indoor facility and to be on the practice field.
For me, it's sort of one of those moments in life where you pinch yourself and say, "Man, this is really cool. It's what it's all about."
You were a lineman at NC State, a great one... two-time All-ACC. Connor is working out as an offensive lineman. Was that a position he gravitated to because of your success?
Yeah, and I think it comes with the size.
I told him at an early age, as he got bigger and bigger, that he's going to have his hand in the dirt so don’t be worried about catching the ball so much.
But it's tough because when you're the dad, you have to make sure that you don't sort of become that helicopter dad, where I'm in too much of the mix. I also want to give him pointers at times and help him work on the technical aspects of the game, which are so important, but he's a really smart kid, and I'm proud of him.
He's done a great job, and I think he'll continue to grow and get better. He's already 6’1” and 240 pounds, going into 10th grade, so he's on the right path. That's for sure. He just has to keep putting the work in.
What has this felt like for you?
Being out here, looking at the State logos and all the things back here, it brings back so many fond memories. Again, whether it's in the war room on draft day or the different moments in the season that I go through, I always think back upon these times.
The experiences that I gained here were really what kicked it off.
You signed Cary Angeline as a free agent earlier this year. I was wondering, what do you think of Dave Doeren's program right now?
I think Dave has done a phenomenal job.
No. 1, I know that the recruiting has got better and better and better. To be able to identify even two and three-star recruits, which really doesn't matter, the stars doesn't matter, even though people get enamored with that. His ability to develop those players into NFL-caliber players is phenomenal.
To me, it’s great for parents and the high school coaches to see that if you go to NC State, it doesn't matter how many stars you have. You're going to get treated the right way. You're going to get a good education. You're going to have a coach that knows how to develop players. That's what's so important.
A lot of times the coaches and the different people that I come across around the country, they want to hire a staff full of guys who can recruit. Well, that's important, but it's also just as important to develop them and to make sure that they become men. Having guys like Mike O'Cain and Dick Sheridan, and most of all, Robbie Caldwell, in my life, who was my position coach, that's who made me become a man, especially those ages of 17 through 24, or whatever the range is.
This is where I became a man, where I learned about life. I think for any young man to be able to come here is a great opportunity.
Another former NC State star, Adrian Wilson, works in the front office with you for the Cardinals. He was a star player there as well. What did you see in him to think he could make that transition from player to potential executive?
I think a number of things. No. 1, the passion for the game was obviously special. We put him in the ring of honor a few years ago. So he's one of, I think, 18 players in Cardinal history to be in the illustrious ring, which is awesome.
Then just the way he handles himself, the way he carries himself like a pro, his dedication to the game. Watching him mature in the front office side has been really special. Just this past year, he was named a vice president, and he has a lot of career left ahead of him. I think he could be a great GM one day.
But it starts with the passion, and he loves it.
I'm a big NFL fan, and I believe you've put together a phenomenal roster with the Cardinals. How do you feel about the team going into your season?
My first five years as GM, we won over 50 games with Bruce Ariens and Carson Palmer... Larry Fitzgerald. So you sort of think, “I have this thing figured out. I'm pretty good at it.” Then they all retire, and you're starting back at square one [Laughing]. You're sort of humbled and realize, "You know what, this is tough. It's challenging."
I've had a first round pick at quarterback that we traded away, and now we have a guy, who was Rookie of the Year in Kyler Murray, and going into his third year, a Pro Bowler. We really feel like we have a nucleus of not only good players, but to be able to bring in J.J. Watt, A.J. Green, and guys that are tremendous locker room guys, to me, that just raises the bar internally.
So now that we have a nice mix of youth, age, and experience, I think big things are ahead of us. I really do think this is probably the best team we've had since 2015, when we played the Panthers in the NFC championship.
The challenge is the NFC West is probably the toughest division of football. Guys like Russell Wilson and what they're doing in San Francisco and Los Angeles... it's going to be a big challenge. But that's what you're in the game for you. You like that part of it.
Finally, you mention Kyler’s success and Russell Wilson. NC State has been evaluating a bunch of different quarterbacks during these camp sessions, and one of the things I've noticed is there's been a trend now of shorter quarterbacks having success from 5’10” to 6’1”. You’ve got Kyler who is 5'10”... Russell is 5’10”. What is it that you think those guys add, or maybe bring a little different, that now you're seeing that height is no longer essentially eliminating those players as NFL options?
I think at the early age, at the youth level, the game's changing. It's become more spread out. You're seeing more athletes become quarterbacks. That's the trickle down effect, which comes to the college level.
The biggest thing is it puts a tremendous amount of stress on defenses, because Russell has shown everybody that at 5-foot-10 you can play that position, but you have to have compensating abilities.
What are those? You extend plays with your feet. You have the ability to get out of the pocket and make things happen. Defenses can play all the different coverages that they want and schematically try to stop you, but if you can't stop a guy with his feet, it's like having an extra man on the field. So it does, it put so much stress on a defense, especially with their running ability and that sort of thing.
Kyler, aside from the fact that he's not tall, he has tremendous arm strength, big hands, a great feel for the game, great accuracy, great touch. His feet and his explosiveness as a runner are second to none. To me, I think that we'll continue to do good things with him and put him in positions where he can succeed.