Bill Belichick Offers Glowing Praise To Rising Patriots Star

Keion White was a menace in Week 1, and one person who knew the talent of the rising Patriots star was Bill Belichick.

White had four combined tackles, two and a half sacks and a forced fumble in New England's upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium last Sunday. The 2023 second-round pick proved to be a worthy candidate to fill in for Christian Barmore and Matthew Judon, who agreed he passed to the torch to the defensive lineman.

"Inside the NFL" has a segment called "Football Guys," where Ryan Clark, Chris Long and Chad Ochocinco Johnson nominate standout players to Belichick. Long picked White as his nominee, and Belichick chose him as the "Football Guy" of the week.

"First of all, I love Keion White," Belichick said on "Inside the NFL." "He can play outside. He can play inside. He's tough, strong, can really play the run, play the pass. He just needs a little bit more experience and technique. You saw what he did in Week 1..."

Obviously, Belichick knows and loves a player who he drafted. But his praise this week was notable since the former Patriots head coach was not asked about anthing from New England's win over the Bengals.

Long is a huge fan of White's calling him an "absolute monster." And the two-time Super Bowl champion had another shoutout to the Patriots defensive end on social media along with a Belichick hoodie that will be coming his way.