The New England Patriots are in the early stages of a rebuild around quarterback Drake mace with new head coach Jerod Mayo, but in pass rusher Keion White.
White didn’t arrive with nearly the fanfare of Maye, or fellow emerging pass rushers such as the Detroit Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson or the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Carter, among others, but instead as a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft who is quickly rising up the ranks.
Through his first 18 games, White has already produced five sacks and 37 total tackles while proving that he can be a disruptive force along the front-seven.
Perhaps most importantly for the rebuilding Patriots, and in Mayo’s scheme, White’s versatility has become a calling card.
“Defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington has deployed White in a Swiss Army knife role“Lining him up at every position across the line of scrimmage. He’s one of two defenders that have played at least 10 snaps at DT, DE, and OLB (stand-up rusher), and he’s been effective regardless of his alignment.
“In two games, he has recorded a pressure against all five positions on the offensive line … White is also comfortable playing on both sides of the line of scrimmage. He’s played 42 percent of his career snaps on the left and 58 percent on the right.”
As the Patriots’ defense evolves and continues to add talent in coming offseasons, White may be able over the course of the remainder of this season to play his way into being one of New England’s centerpieces on that side of the ball.
For his part, White is all in on Mayo and what the Patriots are building.
“As a guy who’s been there, who’s won the championships at every level, you kind of just respect that. He wouldn’t have you do anything he hasn’t done or wouldn’t do himself. He’s really like a player’s coach, he’s relatable,” White told reporters following New England’s Week 1 win over the Bengals. “He communicates to all of them. …You want to run through a brick wall for him.”
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