Packers bolster pass rush, taking Keion White in mock draft

In need of an improved pass rush in 2023, the Green Bay Packers take Georgia Tech edge rusher Keion White in a recent mock draft from Luke Easterling of Draft Wire.

With the Packers loving big-bodied edge rushers, White fits that mold, measuring in at 6’5″ and weighing 286 pounds. He’s also an impressive athlete at that size, making Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks List” prior to the 2022 season, which highlights the top athletes in college football.

After transferring to Georgia Tech from Old Dominion, White missed most of the 2021 season dealing with an injury. He did, however, play 584 snaps this past year, putting together a breakout performance.

Lining up primarily as a traditional edge rusher, White logged 41 pressures and seven sacks in 2022, along with 54 total tackles, 14 of which were for a loss—although at the NFL level, he may be utilized more often inside as a pass rusher. In PFF’s two pass rushing metrics, pass rush productivity and win rate, White finished 21st and 17th, respectively, among edge rushers this season. His 20 run stops ranked tied for 39th.

In what is a very deep edge rusher class that includes 11 in Daniel Jeremiah’s top 50 prospects, White is the fifth-ranked edge rusher over at The Draft Network and the 31st-ranked player overall.

Here is a quick look at what Damian Parson had to say about White in his pre-draft report:

"“As an overall prospect, White brings an outstanding combination of physical size and athleticism,” wrote Parson. “White is scheme versatile too—you can move him all over the defensive front line. As far as run defense is concerned, I believe you will get the best out of White by placing him on the edges—outside shade of offensive tackles and versus tight ends. He is still a work in progress from a technical standpoint. I can envision White being a developmental, yet, toolsy pass-rush prospect with a high ceiling.”"

Edge rusher depth was a concern for the Green Bay Packers last offseason as well, and we saw why once Rashan Gary went down. Without Gary, this group struggled to get after the quarterback with any sort of consistency. Pressure is the best way to wreck any play, but without it, a defense can become exposed rather quickly.

With not knowing when Gary is going to be available this season as he works his way back from an ACL injury, the only players we can count on taking some of the snaps early on are Preston Smith and JJ Enagbare, while Jonathan Garvin and La’Darius Hamilton are fringe roster players. Edge rusher is a heavily rotated position, oftentimes with four players seeing regular snaps each week, so in addition to more impact plays being needed, the Packers also need more reliable depth as well.

In addition to needing more consistency from this unit as a whole in 2023, the draft is about planning ahead, and the outlook at edge rusher doesn’t improve beyond this year, with Smith potentially being in his last season. Again, only further adding to the need that the Packers have.

If Green Bay were to select White and play him inside, there is a need for the Packers to fill there as well, with Kenny Clark, TJ Slaton, and Devonte Wyatt as the primary options but there being little experienced depth behind them. The play of the interior defensive line during the final weeks of the season was a big reason behind the overall success that the defense had.

If I were to guess right now what position the Packers select at pick 15, I’d choose edge rusher; given the need, the positional value, and with the depth of the class, there should be options for Brian Gutekunst.