In a draft class where Virginia Tech did not send any prospects to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, the spotlight on Blacksburg's prospects is dim. There is no national broadcast. No televised 40-yard dash in front of hundreds of NFL scouts. Rather, there was a pedestrian Pro Day in the New River Valley, with a short list of players hoping a phone rings on Day 3. Among them was linebacker Jaden Keller, who used his window well. The Virginia Tech linebacker's game is built on recognition — reading a run before the handoff, closing the gap before the ball carrier can hit it and arriving at the spot with enough force to make the play unambiguous. It is unglamorous work. It is also exactly the kind of work that keeps linebackers employed in the NFL for a long time. Keller spent his entire career in Blacksburg, working his way through the program the old-fashioned way. He recorded 25 tackles in 2022 and 23 in 2023. In 2024, his turn came. In seven starts, he led the entire Virginia Tech defense with 83 tackles.…