Patriots' Most Underrated Player Revealed

The New England Patriots definitely have more talent now than they did a year ago, as they embarked on a free-agent spending spree to upgrade their roster. They also enjoyed a very solid-looking NFL Draft, unlike last spring when the Patriots largely botched it outside of Drake Maye.

As a result, New England is beginning to generate some playoff buzz, as most are expecting the Pats to be considerably better than they were last season.

A big reason for that is the Patriots' much-improved defense, as New England spent a ton of money addressing the slipping unit in free agency. But the Pats did have some good players on that side of the ball before even making their big splashes.

One of them is edge rusher Keion White, who Jonathon Macri of Pro Football Focus has deemed the most underrated player on the team.

"White experienced a Year 2 breakout in 2024, playing a crucial role along New England’s defensive line, leading the team in pass-rush snaps (427), PFF pass-rush grade (76.7), pressures (45) and sacks (six)," Macri wrote. "Despite logging more than 500 defensive snaps as a rookie in 2023, White didn’t produce all that much. He stepped up in 2024 with the team trusting him in a larger role, even ranking 22nd at the position in PFF pass-rush grade while lining up in multiple spots and even dropping into coverage on occasion."

White got off to a particularly strong start last season, rattling off four sacks over the Patriots' first couple of games. Afterward, obviously, the 26-year-old faded the rest of the way, as he did not register another sack until Week 10.

Still, the former second-round pick has clear talent, and there is every reason to believe that he could break out in 2025, especially with New England adding pieces like Milton Williams and Harold Landry to provide him with some support in the pass rush.