Georgia Tech NFL Draft Profile: Keion White

Can Keion White be the first Yellow Jacket selected in the first round since 2010?

Jackson Caudell | Mar 18, 2023

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Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

You would be hard-pressed to find a guy that has seen his NFL Draft stock rise more in the last couple of months than Georgia Tech defensive lineman Keion White.

White had been flying under the radar for much of the 2022 college football season, despite having a very good season for the Yellow Jackets. The former Old Dominion transfer could potentially be the first Yellow Jacket selected in the first round since Derrick Morgan and Demaryius Thomas were in 2010.

White began his career at Old Dominion and he was a tight end at first. He had his breakout college season at defensive end in 2019. He was named second-team all-conference in CUSA and was tied for 10th in the nation with 19 tackles for loss and he also had 3.5 sacks.

White was one of the most sought-after transfers and chose Georgia Tech, but injuries kept him sidelined for most of the 2021 season. The Yellow Jackets knew he was talented and that he would be needed if the defense was going to make improvements in 2022.

Georgia Tech defensive end Keion White — Keion White was Georgia Tech's top pass rusher in 2022 / Georgia Tech Athletics

Before the season, White made the "Freaks List" at the Athletic and it profiled what type of freakish athleticism that he had and what type of player he could be if he put it all together.

"White was a devastating player for Old Dominion in 2019, making 19 TFLs. He was 265 then. He transferred to Tech, but then suffered an ankle injury that sidelined him. He’s now 6-4, 290 and primed to be a problem for ACC teams. White has hit 21 mph despite being almost 300 pounds. He also has vertical-jumped 32 inches and done 38 reps of 225 on the bench press.

“We’re really excited to see him,” Georgia Tech coach Geoff Collins said

White played in all 12 games for Georgia Tech last season and led the team with 7.5 sacks and was named third-team All-ACC. His best game was against North Carolina, who had one of the top offenses in the country.

In that game against the Tar Heels, White produced three sacks, four tackles for loss, and seven tackles. It was not only the best defensive linemen performance of the week but also one of the best of the entire season.

Georgia Tech held UNC to its season low in points, in total yards, and Heisman-contending quarterback Drake Maye to his season low in total passing yards.

After the season, White was invited to play in the 2023 Reese's Senior Bowl and he was impressive in practice all week. Although he did not play in the game, he left Mobile being touted as one of the top players that week:

Here is what top NFL Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said about White this week at practice:

"He came in as my top-rated Senior Bowl player, and I thought he improved every day. He didn't have that wow moment that jumped out to everyone, but he was steady. White has big-time power, as we saw in some of the one-on-ones and the team period on Thursday. He's a Round 1 player."

At the start of the week, Jeremiah had White ranked as the eighth-best player in the entire draft:

"White is a twitched-up edge rusher with a defensive tackle frame. Against the pass, he has an explosive first step and can really bend at the top of his rush. He can convert speed to power and refuses to stay blocked. He never stops working to free himself and he can stack one move after another. He is a freaky athlete in coverage. On tape, you can see him peel off and mirror running backs 30 yards down the field. He also showed off his effort and motor by running more than 80 yards to look for a block on a Georgia Tech fumble return vs. Florida State. Against the run, he is violent with his hands to shock and shed blocks. He has a huge burst to close from the backside. Overall, White is one of my favorite players in the class and could emerge as the top defender in the class."

The praise for White had been gaining steam since the start of the pre-draft process. ESPN's Mel Kiper tabbed White as a top 20 pick in the draft and ESPN's Matt Miller spoke to NFL scouts this week and there is a feeling that White won't have to wait long to hear his name called in April:

"I admit I was late to come around on White, but more than half a dozen of the scouts I polled at the Senior Bowl say he's the top-ranked prospect in Mobile this week. The buzz around White is that he'll be a first-round pick, with one scout for a playoff team even wondering if he'd still be available when it selects in the later parts of Round 1. White had 7.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss in 2022."

Keion White was one of the best players at the Senior Bowl this season / Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

Up next for White was the NFL Combine, where he was going to be among the top defensive lineman to watch and he did not disappoint.

Combine measurements for GT EDGE Keion White

HT: 6-5
WT: 285
Arm: 34"
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) March 2, 2023

Keion White Run and Club #NFLCombine2023 pic.twitter.com/yaEKnHKIps
— WalkTheMock (@WalkTheMock) March 2, 2023

It was a good showing for White in Indianapolis and he followed it with a good pro on Thursday at Georgia Tech.

When will he be drafted?

I think there is a good chance he goes in the first round, as there are plenty of teams that need versatile defensive linemen. That is the thing that stands out about White is that he can line up at multiple positions along the front and has a rare blend of speed and power. Those are the kind of traits that teams are looking for and that could allow him to surprise people with where he is drafted.

The Falcons, Eagles, Texans, Lions, Buccaneers, Seahawks, Vikings, Cowboys, Bengals, and Chiefs strike me as the teams that could use defensive linemen the most in this draft. The 18-32 range is where I think he is likely to go if he is in the first round, but I will say that this pass-rusher class is pretty deep and regarded as one of the deepest in the draft. That could cause him to fall and a team in the 2nd round would be getting a steal in that scenario.

Playing defensive end for only a few seasons makes me think that White is just starting to scratch his potential and he could see a big jump in the NFL. He is an extremely hard-working player with very good athleticism and can play multiple positions along the defensive line. That is going to make him appealing to NFL teams and whoever takes him will be glad they did.

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When will he be drafted?

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