2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Keion White

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Keion White, 6-4/260 Defensive End Georgia Tech

Keion White Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Quick edge rusher

Agility to dodge blockers

Good get-off

Closing speed

Nice ability to redirect

Pursuit defender

Plays with good leverage

Causes disruption behind the line of scrimmage

Chases running backs down from the backside

Consistent source of pass pressure in 2022

Regularly produces splash plays

Has some instincts and feel

Ability to bend around the corner

Weaknesses:

Lacks weight for the edge

Must get stronger for downhill runs

Needs to improve ability to shed blocks

Could stand to improve and develop more pass-rushing moves

Summary: White made it onto NFL teams’ 2022 preseason watchlist mainly from his 2019 season at Old Dominion, when he collected 19 tackles for a loss, 62 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, an interception and a pass batted. Old Dominion did not play football in 2020, and while White transferred to Georgia Tech for 2021, he missed the majority of the year with an injury. In 2022, White broke out in with 7.5 sacks and 54 tackles while playing for a bad team. White has received some postseason buzz and some first-round projections from the media, including NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah.

As a pass rusher, the strength of White’s game is that he is very quick off the edge, possessing the agility to weave around blockers. He has a quick first-step and get-off to put tackles on their heels. White is good in space while being athletic enough to stand up over tackles or put his hand in the ground and rushing as a defensive end. White could be a fit as a 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL. In a 4-3 defense, he could play at right end.



In the ground game, White could stand to improve his ability to shed blocks and break free after linemen get their hands on him. He also will have problems defending downhill runs coming straight at him due to his size. Hence, White will need to be part of a rotation. He needs to continue to develop some his pass-rushing moves for the NFL because he is too reliant on speed and athleticism.

None of the sources WalterFootball.com spoke with from a number of teams had a first-round grade on White. All of them had him graded on Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Perhaps there is a team that likes him enough to select him late in Round 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft, but most likely he is a second-day prospect.



Player Comparison: Cliff Avril. White reminds me of Avril (6-3, 260). They are almost identical in size and fast edge rushers to hunt quarterbacks. Both players are light in the run game. Avril was a quality pass rusher over a solid NFL career, and if White pans out, I could see him being a pro comparable to Avril.

2023 NFL Draft Player Previews - Choose Player 2023 NFL Draft Player Previews - Home Devon Achane, RB, Texas A&M Adetomiwa Adebawore, DE, Northwestern Jordan Addison, WR, USC Will Anderson, DE, Alabama Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DE, Kansas State Steve Avila, G, TCU Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland Micah Baskerville, LB, LSU Keeanu Benton, DT, Wisconsin Matthew Bergeron, OT, Syracuse Mekhi Blackmon, CB, USC Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU Brian Branch, S, Alabama Julius Brents, CB, Kansas State Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson Chase Brown, RB, Illinois Sydney Brown, S, Illinois Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia Zach Charbonnet, RB, UCLA Malik Cunningham, QB, Louisvile Gervon Dexter, DT, Florida Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina Max Duggan, QB, TCU Jaelyn Duncan, OT, Maryland Zach Evans, RB, Ole Miss Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Notre Dame Isaiah Foskey, DE, Notre Dame Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon Derick Hall, OLB, Auburn Jaren Hall, QB, BYU Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma Daiyan Henley, LB, Washington State Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee Siaki Ika, DT, Baylor Antonio Johnson, S, Texas A&M Paris Johnson, OT, Ohio State Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU Broderick Jones, G, Georgia Dawand Jones, OT, Ohio State Calijah Kancey, DT, Pittsburgh Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah Sam LaPorta, TE, Iowa Will Levis, QB, Kentucky Quan Martin, CB, Illinois Cody Mauch, G, North Dakota State Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame Will McDonald, DE, Iowa State Kenny McIntosh, RB, Georgia Tanner McKee, QB, Stanford Kendre Miller, RB, TCU Jonathan Mingo, WR, Ole Miss Cam Mitchell, CB, Northwestern Malachi Moore, S, Alabama Mike Morris, DE, Michigan Wanya Morris, OT, Oklahoma Myles Murphy, DE, Clemson Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State Zion Nelson, OT, Miami B.J. Ojulari, OLB, LSU Demarvion Overshown, LB, Texas Owen Pappoe, LB, Auburn Jarrett Patterson, C, Notre Dame Clark Phillips, CB, Utah Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas Chris Rodriguez, RB, Kentucky Drew Sanders, LB, Arkansas Noah Sewell, LB, Oregon Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern Cam Smith, CB, South Carolina Mazi Smith, DT, Michigan Nolan Smith, DE, Georgia Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota Tyler Steen, OT, Alabama Tyrique Stevenson, CB, Miami C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State Cedric Tillman, WR, Tennessee Joe Tippman, C, Wisconsin O'Cyrus Torrence, G, Florida Henry To'oTo'o, LB, Alabama Tuli Tuipulotu, DE, USC D.J. Turner, CB, Michigan Lukas Van Ness, DE, Iowa Deuce Vaughn, RB, Kansas State Tyree Wilson, DE, Texas Tech Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia Keion White, DE, Georgia Tech Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

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