WATCH: Keion White makes highlight play in Patriots debut

White had a fantastic debut for the New England Patriots

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Publish date:
Aug 11, 2023 12:19 AM EDT

In this story:

Despite the NFL Hall of Fame Game being last week, week one of the NFL Preseason started tonight, and among the teams that were in action was the New England Patriots, who were taking on the Houston Texans. Making his NFL debut for the Patriots was former Georgia Tech star Keion White, who was impressive in his first NFL game. White finished with three tackles, a quarterback hit, and a forced fumble, which was one of the highlight plays of the game.

White was picked in the second round by New England in this year's NFL Draft and he is already playing at a high level. He will have a chance to continue to make an impact on one of the NFL's best defenses and his athleticism and size is going to make him a handful in the league.

Houston defeated New England 20-9.

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.

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, which had one of the top offenses in the country.

Georgia Tech defensive end Keion White vs North Carolina — Keion White was a star at Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech Athletics

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.

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. He should be a perfect fit with what Bill Belichick and the Patriots want to do on defense.

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