Patriots DE Keion White has made a strong impression despite not saying much
The New England Patriots second-round draft pick has already made quite the impression. And it's not just through his physical style of play. While he might not say much and is known for his stoic facial expression, Keion White is already a fan favorite. And this comes as no surprise to his former coach. “Keion […]
The New England Patriots second-round draft pick has already made quite the impression.
And it's not just through his physical style of play.
While he might not say much and is known for his stoic facial expression, Keion White is already a fan favorite. And this comes as no surprise to his former coach.
“Keion may not come across as talkative to the public, especially initially, but he is an incredible person that cares deeply about his family, friends and teammates, and has a wonderful sense of humor and perspective on life,” former Georgia Tech coach Geoff Collins said in ESPN's Mike Reiss. “He has always been very mature and a deep thinker as well. He likes knowing everything about a subject that he cares deeply about. He also likes to know the reasoning behind things he’s being asked to do, so that he can fully execute at a high level.”
White was consistently in the Houston Texans backfield during Thursday night's 20-9 preseason loss, finishing the game with three tackles across 27 defensive snaps.
Starting his career at Old Dominion in 2017, White originally played as a tight end until the spring of 2019. However when he switched to the defensive side, he knew he found his calling.
“His size and limitless [physical] ability give him the flexibility to play a lot of different spots on the defensive front and being able to drop into coverage as needed," Collins said. "He’s also highly intelligent and can handle a large volume of playbook assignments as well.”
The Patriots selected White with the 46th overall pick in 2023 and that was when fans got a first glimpse of the very serious versatile defensive end. He showed no emotion when his name was called, but later explained the reasoning for that to reporters.
"I don't know if y'all seen on TV, but I'm a pretty chill person," White said. "So I'm not very like explosive in excitement in any form. So I've just kind of been taking it in and I haven't even talked to my family, to be honest. I've just kind of taken it all in and handled it myself for sure."
But between his facial expressions and style of play, White has a lot of excitement surrounding him as he heads into his rookie season.
Patriots Preseason Takeaways: Keion White proves to be a beast for the defense in loss to Texans
Keion White was all over the Houston Texans backfield during Thursday’s contest.
Featured Image via Sophie Weller – A to Z Sports
