3 things 49ers fans must know about Keion White

White is in his third year, and the former second-round pick just got traded for a conditional pick swap. You can easily assume that White has been a bust to date. That is hardly the case, though. White was slow to start during his rookie year and only recorded one sack, but he showed significant progress in Year 2. 

White went from 48.8% of the snap share to 74.2%. His pass rush win rate went from 6.2% and he went from 20 pressures to a 12.7% win rate with 45 pressures.  Both led the team on his way to five sacks. 

A third-year player who went from one sack to five, saw the field more, and was a better snap-in and snap-out is not a bust. The New England Patriots hired a new coaching staff, and he does not fit this group. So, he is not producing, and recently he has not been playing. This is more the Patriots doing right by a player who does not fit.

Keion White is very athletic 

Keion White was drafted so high because he has a rare combination of athletic traits and size. He is much bigger than a typical edge rusher by most metrics. So big, that many viewed him as a defensive tackle coming out of college.

When you compare him to edge rushers, he is not quite as overwhelmingly athletic, but that type of athleticism at his size is still overwhelming to many defenders. 

When it comes to his body type, he fits the mold of many past rushers such as Arden Key, Charles Omeninhu, Solomon Thomas, Clelin Ferrell, who the team also just signed, and Yetur Gross-Matos, who is currently injured on the roster.

Keion White fits the 49ers scheme 

His body type fits what the 49ers look for, and so does his playing style. White is a player who is best at stopping the run from the edges, but then sliding inside on pass-rushing downs to get after the passer. That is why he was not a fit for New England, which likes to drop its edges more on passing downs. 

White aligned as an interior rusher on 15.4% of his snaps during his first two seasons. This season, the Patriots have done it just four times. For comparison, Mykel Williams has played as an interior rusher on 16.3% of his career snaps. So, the role White fills is right in line what the 49ers like to do with their rushers.