Where Does Keion White Land In ESPN's Latest Mock Draft?

Keion White sees himself in the first round in another mock draft

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Publish date:
Feb 6, 2023 1:47 PM EST

In this story:

It would be hard to argue that a player has seen their NFL Draft stock rise more than Georgia Tech's Keion White.

From the day that he arrived in Mobile for the Senior Bowl last week, White was being talked about as the best player at the game. Although he did not play in the game on Saturday, White left Mobile having raised his NFL draft stock and potentially becoming a first-round pick in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft.

After the Senior Bowl, new mock drafts are going to be published based on the new information coming out of Mobile and ESPN released theirs today. ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Matt Miller did a two-round mock draft and had White landing in the first round to the New Orleans Saints with the 29th pick of the draft. Here is what Miller had to say about White landing with the Saints near the end of the first round:

"Ahead of the Senior Bowl last week, I texted a handful of NFL scouts to ask their opinions on the best player in attendance. Every one of them replied, "Keion White." Indeed, he impressed all week with power, quickness, and traits that point to positional versatility in the NFL. At 6-5 and 280 pounds, White has the power to knock blockers off their spots, but he also showed a nasty spin move and more agility than expected. According to one NFL general manager with whom I spoke, he can play inside as a 3-technique or outside as a head-up defensive end -- which is good because New Orleans could lose David Onyemata and Marcus Davenport to free agency. White posted 7.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss in 2022."

Former Georgia Tech defensive end Keion White was impressive at the 2023 Senior Bowl
Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

Among edge players, White was the fifth selected in Miller's mock draft behind Will Anderson (Alabama), Tyree Wilson (Texas Tech), Myles Murphy (Clemson), and Lukas Van Ness (Iowa).

This is just the latest example of White picking up first-round buzz. It started before the Senior Bowl when ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr had White as a top 20 pick in his mock draft. There was some considerable buzz among NFL scouts about White and NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah thinks he is one of the best defensive players in the 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 next big step for White will be turning in a great performance at the NFL Combine, which comes at the end of the month. If White tests well (which I think he will), then he is likely to cement himself as a first-round pick.

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