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Buffalo Bills signed an undrafted free agent that everyone overlooked and he's already receiving praise
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Bills signed an undrafted free agent that everyone else in the NFL overlooked and it's a decision that already appears to be paying dividends. 

After the 2024 NFL Draft, the Bills signed Western Michigan cornerback Keni-H Lovely to an undrafted free agent deal. 

Lovely is a former three-star recruit who signed with Western Michigan out of high school as the No. 1,404 overall player in the 2018 recruiting class. 

In other words, he was never supposed to be on the NFL radar. 

The Florida native, however, kept his head down and worked hard and now he's receiving a chance with the Bills. And he's making the most of that chance so far. 

Syracuse.com's Matt Parrino pointed out Lovely this week as a player that Buffalo fans should have on their radar after making a strong first impression during Bills rookie minicamp. 

From Syracuse.com: The Bills signed undrafted free agent cornerback Keni-H Lovely, and he wasted no time making a first impression. The Western Michigan product, who ran an unofficial 4.35 40-yard dash at his pro day, made the biggest play of the day when he picked off a pass from Eason on the first play on 11-on-11.

Lovely was in coverage against Coleman and he set the physical tone back in 7-on-7 work. When Coleman finally broke free from Lovely after a bump at the line, the cornerback moved toward the ball, and the receiver didn’t have a chance. Lovely also recorded a pass breakup while working against Coleman. 

Lovely is an extremely athletic cornerback who has elite speed, which should allow him to keep up with nearly any wide receiver in the NFL. 

The former Western Michigan standout has gone through some adversity during his playing career, including the death of his older brother last fall, but his former head coach said last season that despite that adversity, Lovely always brings energy and enthusiasm to the field. 

“Keni-H is just a special person and he’s a guy you want to celebrate and highlight for all the things he’s had to go through,” said Western Michigan head coach Lance Taylor last November (via MLive.com). “He’s a great leader for our football team and his energy and enthusiasm shows up on the field with his impact. We’ve built a special bond this year and he’s had family things this year that are tough to deal with and you know it’s weighing on his heart and mind."

“But he shows up the same way, and he’s the same person every day,” added Taylor. “He’s a guy that wasn’t on our leadership council initially but was voted in later because of the impact and voice he has in that locker room.”

Lovely takes pride in bringing that energy to the field every day. And he hopes it's something that impacts his teammates. 

"I just like being that person that everybody can look at and they don’t even have to talk to me, they can just see my energy," said Lovely during his final season at Western Michigan. "You see my juice, my enthusiasm and my efforts and hopefully that carries onto the next person because energy is big."

“Hopefully you see me and you’re like ‘Keni-H has energy today, let me get a little juice from him and change my energy.’ It works and I just keep it going," added Lovely. 

Lovely still has an uphill battle ahead to make the Bills' 53-man roster -- that's the case for every undrafted free agent -- but it feels like he has a great chance to make an impact in Buffalo thanks to his ball-hawking skills, elite athleticism, and infectious personality that helps provide energy for everyone that comes in contact with the the under-looked cornerback. 

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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