Patriots’ Keion White Looking To Earn Quirky Opportunity

FOXBORO, Mass. — Keion White is someone you’re going to be hearing a lot about in 2024.

The Patriots haven’t been shy about placing expectations on the 25-year-old, with Jerod Mayo landing on him when asked who pleasantly surprised him during the early portion of the offseason. New England has relied on the sophomore defensive lineman early in camp, using him in a variety of roles along the defensive front.

White isn’t buying into his own hype, though.

“I feel like I’m still trying to earn my spot,” White said Thursday. ” … I still feel like I need to prove myself, not only to my teammates but to the league.”

New England started to see White settle in during the second half of his rookie campaign, in which he only recorded one sack and five quarterback hits but served as an every-down option in the absence of Matthew Judon.

Judon is back, though, so the versatility we talked about earlier will be imperative to keep White on the field. What will success look like when he’s out there?

“I think the biggest thing for a defensive lineman is to be able to get the green light to mess up,” White said. “I’m trying to just earn my stripes and earn that green light to be a little bit more free in the rush and be more of a focus in the rush. It’s a thing, but it comes in earning trust from your coaches and teammates, for them to know that you know what you’re doing.”

White finished with a pass-rush win rate of 19.6 percent in 2022, which was one of the highest in college football. He’ll have plenty of opportunities to improve on that number in 2024, and if he can, the Patriots are looking at another star piece to their defense.