Titans target draft prospect with familiar skillset
First reported by Tom Pelissero, the Tennessee Titans hosted 2023 defensive line prospect Keion White for a Top 30 visit earlier this week. White, who had 7.5 sacks last season for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, is a fast riser on draft boards that will likely go somewhere in the first two rounds. At 6-foot-5 and 285 […]
First reported by Tom Pelissero, the Tennessee Titans hosted 2023 defensive line prospect Keion White for a Top 30 visit earlier this week.
White, who had 7.5 sacks last season for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, is a fast riser on draft boards that will likely go somewhere in the first two rounds.
At 6-foot-5 and 285 pounds, White is drawing early comparisons to current Titans defensive lineman Denico Autry who has the same height and weight.
White's size is intriguing. Some believe he is too small to be a productive 3-technique in the NFL while others think he's too heavy to play on the edge. His 34-inch arms are a plus, but one of the many questions surrounding White's NFL transition is if his unique body type will make him positionless or positionally versatile.
That said, White had a higher RAS size score than any other EDGE prospect in the draft. His size and speed combo may not fit into a box for some NFL scouts, but his upside is hard to overlook.
Of all defensive line prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft, White was 15th in defensive pass rush win rate, resulting in 41 pressures in 2022.
One of the biggest knocks against White is a lack of consistency in his film. While he has the ability to win from any spot on the line, he hasn't shown that he can do it consistently. That's concerning for an already 24-year-old pass rusher.
So will White go in the first round? It's hard to say. With the level of defensive talent in this year's draft class, my first instinct would be to say no, but White's invite to the NFL Draft in Kansas City may suggest that team's are eyeing him in the latter half of Day 1.
Usually, the NFL likes to avoid bringing prospects to the draft that won't hear their names called at some point in the first round.
If White is still on the board at 41, he's definitely a prospect to watch for the Titans.
Autry is entering the final season of his three year contract, and it's important the Titans have a replacement to fill his role. Having a relentless and powerful player like Autry fly off the edge causes all kinds of trouble for offensive lines that are already trying to deal with Jeffery Simmons and Harold Landry III.
White does not solve an immediate problem for the Titans, so considering drafting him in the first round would be less than ideal. But Mike Vrabel has a way of finding the right guys for his defensive front, so if White hangs around until 41, the Titans could land an extremely impactful player for the next few years.
This week's meeting would at least point to some level of interest from Tennessee.
