Most prospects are overcome with emotion and/or excitement when they hear their name called in the NFL Draft . Keion White is the exception to the rule.
The New England Patriots selected the former standout Georgia Tech defensive end with the 46th overall pick (second-round) in the 2023 NFL Draft Friday. White, however, didn’t look too thrilled to hear his name called.
White’s stone-faced reaction quickly went viral on social media, leaving Patriots fans confused.
“No, seriously, why does he look so sad about it [?] Keion I swear our defense is always solid! It’s a good system. We will get the offense together,” one Twitter user wrote.
Perhaps White was just taking on the identity of his soon to be head coach, Bill Belichick. As we all know, Belichick and the word emotion aren’t typically associated with one another. Was White looking to impress Belichick with his fiery demeanor? Or was he really pissed off at being drafted by the Patriots? It’s an interesting debate and subplot, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll find out later Friday night when the New England media gets a chance to speak with White.
White was one of four players to be in the Green Room Thursday, and not hear their name called. The other three were Kentucky quarterback Will Levis, Alabama defensive back Brian Branch and Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. White certainly had the production to be a first-round pick, recording 7.5 sacks, 54 tackles and 14.0 tackles for loss during his senior season with the Yellow Jackets. He spent three years at Old Dominion before transferring to Georgia Tech after the 2020 season.
Patriots get tremendous value in Keion White in second-round
White previously said he wouldn’t be disappointed if he fell in the draft.
“For me, I feel like at this point, I’m playing with house money,” White said after Georgia Tech’s pro day, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “First round, second round, third round, I don’t care. Just to have the opportunity because I was so close to not playing college football is big for me. So wherever I get drafted, I’m not going to be one of those guys who’s disappointed because I fell or because I didn’t get drafted where everybody else thought I was.”
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