FOXBORO, Mass. — Keion White went into his preseason NFL debut with one straightforward goal: impact the game with his physicality.
Safe to say he passed that test.
The New England Patriots’ second-round draft pick was a disruptive force in Thursday night’s exhibition opener against the Houston Texans, wreaking havoc from multiple alignments along the defensive line.
“(I wanted to) just play physical,” the no-nonsense Georgia Tech product said after the Patriots’ 20-9 loss at Gillette Stadium. “I can fix all the rest of the stuff. Technique and everything obviously needs to be corrected. Just playing a physical and dominant style of the game was my main focus.”
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It didn’t take White long to make his presence felt.
On the second snap of the game, he stood up left tackle George Fant and helped drop running back Devin Singletary for a 1-yard gain on second-and-2. Three plays later, White rushed off the edge, slapped Fant’s hands aside and got instant pressure on C.J. Stroud, flushing the rookie quarterback out of the pocket for a modest 4-yard scramble on second-and-25.
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White showed up again on New England’s second defensive series. On a Stroud rollout, he quickly diverted his rush, closed the gap in a hurry and delivered a heavy hit as the QB released the ball. Then, on the next play, he fought off Fant’s block, tracked down a scrambling Stroud and dropped him short of the first-down marker to force a Texans punt.
White’s loudest contribution came midway through the second quarter. He pummeled running back Dare Ogunbowale after a fumbled pitch, freeing teammate Calvin Munson to recover the loose ball.
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On some of those plays, White lined up in a three-point stance as a defensive end. On others, he played as a stand-up edge rusher. He played on the right side of the D-line and on the left. All told, While logged a total of 27 defensive snaps, plus two more on special teams, before the coaching staff subbed him out for good.
“He’s getting better,” head coach Bill Belichick said postgame. “… Keion has improved all through the spring, in training camp here. We’ll (watch the film and) see how it went (Thursday night). Seemed like it was all right.”
NFL Media analyst and former NFL lineman Brian Baldinger shared an insightful breakdown of White’s performance, noting how he should sound technique while handling a variety of responsibilities.
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White called the game “a good experience” and said there’s plenty he still needs to learn. He felt like he was playing too slowly, too cautiously at times, even if he didn’t look like it on film.
His focus heading into his first round of NFL joint practices, which start up next Wednesday in Green Bay?
“Just being able to play faster,” White said. “There were a lot of times where I was just trying to dissect a little too much. I just needed to play fast, put my hand down and go.”
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Featured image via Zack Cox/NESN
