Former Georgia Tech defensive end Keion White heads into the Senior Bowl next week with a lofty projection in his back pocket. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper pegged White as a first-round pick in a mock draft published Wednesday.
Kiper slotted White as the No. 19 pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In this past season, White collected 14 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks among his 54 tackles. He earned third-team All-ACC honors for his play. With his combination of speed, strength and size, White was the focus of a stream of NFL scouts who came to Tech to watch practices and games this past season.
“He’s another inside-outside lineman who would bring some interior pass-rush ability to Tampa,” Kiper wrote. “White will be at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, next week, and I know scouts are excited to see him up close.”
Kiper’s designation hardly is a guarantee for White but bodes well. In a January 2022 mock draft, 21 of the players that Kiper projected as first-rounders ultimately were taken in that round in April.
White would be Tech’s first first-round pick since Derrick Morgan and the late Demaryius Thomas were first-rounders in the 2010 draft.
About the Author
