Patriots defensive end Keion White, who wears baggy white sleeves and plays without gloves, is different. Not only did he show zero emotion when drafted last year, he also had only 11 sacks over four seasons in college.
Yet Eliot Wolf and New England (1-2) obviously saw something different in White to make him their second-round selection in the 2023 draft. And three weeks into White’s second season, they seem to have hit on that selection.
White already has four sacks, tied for third in the league behind Aidan Hutchinson (6½) and Will McDonald (5). Plus, according to Pro Football Focus, White enters Sunday’s game at San Francisco (4:05 p.m. ET, FOX) with a 91.0 pass-rush grade (tied for third among NFL edge rushers) and a 21.7 percent win rate (seventh).
He obviously flips some sort of switch when the center snaps the ball because he’s a different person off the field, something he explained after Wolf and the Patriots drafted him in 2023.
“I don’t know if y’all seen on TV, but I’m a pretty chill person,” White said last year. “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.”
San Francisco (1-2) hopes to handle White for sure on Sunday. With Brock Purdy nursing back soreness, White could spell trouble for a 49ers team desperate for good news. Anchored by perennial All-Pro Trent Williams, the 49ers have allowed 10 sacks so far this season (tied for 22nd most in the league). However, San Francisco’s offensive line has given Purdy an average of 3.26 seconds to pass, third-best in the NFL.
White has moved around the defensive line over the first three games and isn’t expected to see Williams on every snap Sunday.Patriots defensive end Keion White, who wears baggy white sleeves and plays without gloves, is different. Not only did he show zero emotion when drafted last year, he also had only 11 sacks over four seasons in college.
Yet Eliot Wolf and New England (1-2) obviously saw something different in White to make him their second-round selection in the 2023 draft. And three weeks into White’s second season, they seem to have hit on that selection.
White already has four sacks, tied for third in the league behind Aidan Hutchinson (6½) and Will McDonald (5). Plus, according to Pro Football Focus, White enters Sunday’s game at San Francisco (4:05 p.m. ET, FOX) with a 91.0 pass-rush grade (tied for third among NFL edge rushers) and a 21.7 percent win rate (seventh).
He obviously flips some sort of switch when the center snaps the ball because he’s a different person off the field, something he explained after Wolf and the Patriots drafted him in 2023.
“I don’t know if y’all seen on TV, but I’m a pretty chill person,” White said last year. “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.”
San Francisco (1-2) hopes to handle White for sure on Sunday. With Brock Purdy nursing back soreness, White could spell trouble for a 49ers team desperate for good news. Anchored by perennial All-Pro Trent Williams, the 49ers have allowed 10 sacks so far this season (tied for 22nd most in the league). However, San Francisco’s offensive line has given Purdy an average of 3.26 seconds to pass, third-best in the NFL.
White has moved around the defensive line over the first three games and isn’t expected to see Williams on every snap Sunday.