New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots continued to overhaul their roster by trading Keion White to the San Francisco 49ers. After the deal, an insider indicated just how much Bill Belichick liked the linebacker.
New England drafted White with the No. 46 pick in 2023. According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Belichick nearly selected him much earlier.
Breer claimed on NBC Sports Boston’s “Arbella Early Edition” that Belichick wanted to select White at pick No. 17 over Christian Gonzalez.
“If it were up to Bill Belichick and Bill Belichick alone, Keion White might have been their first-round pick in 2023, and not Christian Gonzalez,” Breer said. “I think if it were up to Bill, it would have been Keion White. He had to be talked out of that one.”
Phil Perry added that the Patriots traded down three spots because they were comfortable choosing either Gonzalez or White in the first round.
If Breer’s reporting is accurate, kudos to whoever changed Belichick’s mind.
Gonzalez has quickly emerged as a shutdown cornerback, returning from an injury-shortened rookie campaign to earn second-team All-Pro honors in 2024. New England ranks 19th in passing defense despite allowing over 300 passing yards in each of the season’s first two games with Gonzalez sidelined.
While Gonzalez remains a linchpin of New England’s defense, White became the latest recent draft pick jettisoned. The 26-year-old fell out of favor under head coach Mike Vrabel, playing 123 defensive snaps in five games before Tuesday night’s trade.
