Breakout Patriots DE Named ‘Most Underappreciated’

It’s tough to be considered “underappreciated” when you’re a former second-round draft pick who has recorded just six sacks in two seasons, but New England Patriots defensive end Keion White is still being overlooked.

That’s according to NFL.com Original Content Editor Tom Blair. He believes “White broke out in Year 2, racking up five sacks and 51 pressures — both team highs — with a pressure rate (12.5%) that ranked as the 13th-best among NFL players with 400-plus pass-rush snaps.”

Five sacks represent a modest breakout, but White’s potential remains high. He’s imposing physically and versatile enough to wreck protection from multiple spots.

Fulfilling his potential ought to be easier in the more attacking defense the Pats are expected to run under new head coach Mike Vrabel. Yet, Vrabel’s latest comments suggest a ‘tweener like White could still be stuck without a clearly defined role to help take advantage of the superior new personnel around him.

New-Look Patriots Defensive Line Good News for Keion White

Vrabel and general manager Eliot Wolf spent big money retooling New England’s defensive line in free agency. Their best moves included adding one of Vrabel’s favorites from his days with the Tennessee Titans on the edge, as well as putting a $104 million Super Bowl winner at the interior.

Their presence, along with what should be a more active line under new defensive coordinator Terrell Williams, ought to free White to be more productive. It will happen if the 26-year-old responds to the tutelage of new outside linebackers coach Mike Smith.

The latter described White as “Meaner than a rattlesnake,” per ESPN’s Mike Reiss, who also noted Smith “has a history of coaching bigger rushers like White (6-5, 285).”

Smith’s work with White will go a long way to determining exactly how No. 99 is deployed this season.

Keion White Still Needs Defined Role

White’s flexibility is his main asset, but it can also work against him. The roving D-lineman has created havoc as what NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger described as “the ‘Piano Man’ lining up and down the defensive line…He is winning from a lot of alignments.”

Where this roving brief becomes a problem is when White is denied the chance to refine his core skills at a regular position. For instance, working on his speed to power transitions as an edge-rusher.

Creating pressure from the outside, at least on early downs, still looks like the best fit for White. The question is how often will he get to play on the edge?

That’s open for debate after Vrabel made a surprising revelation about the Patriots’ base defense for 2025. The plan raises questions about where White will line up.

Will he operate at outside linebacker, a spot seemingly better suited to Harold Landry III and Anfernee Jennings? Does that mean White plays defensive end on a three-man line in base situations? How often will he get to align as a wide-angled defensive end as part of a four-man rush?

The answers to those questions will determine how much White can do to emerge from the ranks of the AFC’s underrated and earn dominant status this year.