Who Was New England Patriots Surprise of the Spring?

The New England Patriots are now just a couple of weeks away from training camp with the summer in full swing and the spring long wrapped up.

With the conclusion of spring football came questions. Questions about the new-look staff and about new faces on the field, but also about faces that we have already seen.

Cred: USA TODAY Sports Images

Mike Reiss of ESPN shared the fact that one Patriot stood out to new head coach Jerod Mayo in ESPN's roundup piece of one big surprise player from each team's spring program. In New England's case, it was 2023 second round pick, edge rusher Keion White.

"The 2023 second-round pick was mentioned by coach Jerod Mayo when asked if there was a player that has surprised him so far. 'Keion has kind of taken that step forward as far as being a leader -- not as much vocally, but you see him actually leading the groups and working well,' Mayo said. White played 45.8% of the defensive snaps as a rookie and looks primed to increase that number in 2024," Reiss wrote.

While White did have just one sack in his rookie season, he showed signs of being a serious disruptor and got consistent pressure on the quarterback when he was on the field.

When Matthew Judon suffered an injury, it likely capped White's rookie year ceiling without someone for an offense to game plan for on his opposite side.

With Judon back in the fold, perhaps White can take the next step in 2024.