3 For 3 On D: Patriots Bolster Defense Drafting Keion White, Marte Mapu

Bill Belichick's NFL Draft message is loud and clear for the New England Patriots: Dominating Defense.

Richie Whitt | Apr 28, 2023

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New England Patriots

At this point in the NFL Draft we'd like to sheepishly summon those stubborn fans still holding out on the tired, old cliches with a "D" and a "picket fence."

Because after three rounds, Bill Belichick has made his intentions quite clear for the 2023 New England Patriots: Pressure quarterbacks. Cover receivers. Play ... deee-fence!

A night after selecting Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez in the first round, the Patriots further bolstered what was a Top 10 defense in 2022 by drafting 6-foot-5 Georgia Tech pass-rusher Keion White in the second round and Sacramento State linebacker/safety Marte Mapu in the third.

With four picks each in the fourth and sixth rounds, the Pats certainly have the capital to move up. But Friday they wound up staying put at No. 46 to nab White, a talented-but-raw edge rusher who will strengthen one of the league's best pass rushes. And they stayed home at No. 76 to take the position-less Mapu, who won Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year last season and earlier this month visited Foxboro.

In 24 hours, the Patriots added a starting cornerback, complementary pass-rusher and versatile, kamikaze tackler who can play a number of positions and likely also be a special-teams standout.

It was the offense that dragged New England down in 2022. It's the defense that will be expected to prop it up in 2023.

The only teams with more sacks than New England's 54 last season both played in the Super Bowl - the Eagles (70) and Chiefs (55). Now it can add White - who in college worked as a delivery driver for Domino's pizza - to elite edge-rushers Matthew Judon and Josh Uche. Among other things, Mapu could alleviate the loss of long-time captain Devin McCourty, who retired this offseason.

While Mapu is a hair-on-fire player, White is more laid-back in his approach. Especially off the field. When cameras captured his reaction to being picked by the Patriots, he barely moved a muscle.

"I don’t know if you saw on TV," White joked. "I’m a pretty chill person. I just kind of take it all in.”

The AFC East figures to be a wide-open offensive division this season with pass-happy quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers (Jets), Josh Allen (Bills) and Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins), but Belichick is quickly building a defense to combat them.

A look at the Pats' picks:

Round 1 – Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon

Round 2 – Keion White, DE, Georgia Tech

Round 3 – Marte Mapu, LB/S, Sacramento State

Round 4 - 107 (from Rams)

117

120 (from Steelers)

135 (compensatory for J.C. Jackson)

Round 6 - 184 (from Panthers)

187 (from Raiders)

192

210 (compensatory for Ted Karras)