Former ODU defensive lineman Keion White selected by Patriots in the NFL draft’s second round; offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri picked by Saints in fourth
Keion White’s odyssey from unheralded high school player to Old Dominion and Georgia Tech and the NFL was completed Friday night when he was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round.
White, a 6-foot-5, 286-pound defensive lineman from Garner, North Carolina, was the 46th overall selection.
White played two seasons for ODU in 2018 and 2019 before transferring to Georgia Tech. He moved from tight end to defensive line at Old Dominion and in 2019 finished with 62 tackles and matched a single-season school record with 19 tackles for loss.
On Saturday, ODU offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri was the first pick of the day, going to the New Orleans Saints with the 103rd overall selection. The Saints made a trade with the Chicago Bears to acquire the pick.
Salvideri, a 6-6, 315-pounder from Waxhaw, North Carolina, started 35 games over his final three seasons at ODU and a was a second-team All-Sun Belt pick by Phil Steele last season.
At Georgia Tech, White missed most of the 2021 season with an injury before starting 12 games last season, leading Georgia Tech’s defensive linemen in tackles with 54 and registering team-highs in tackles for loss (14) and sacks (7½).
“There’s still so much stuff to learn,” White told reporters after he was selected. “The transition was for the best. It got me to this point now. But I’m still working. I’m still improving, I feel like we all are. No matter if you’re an All-Pro or you’re a rookie.”
White’s reaction — or more accurately his lack of reaction — to being drafted by New England quickly made the rounds on social media Friday night. White, sitting with his family, didn’t smile or offer much emotion while the camera was on him.
“I don’t know if y’all seen on TV, but I’m a pretty chill person,” White said. “So I’m not very like explosive in excitement in any form. So I’ve just kind of been taking it in and I haven’t even talked to my family, to be honest. I’ve just kind of taken it all in and handled it myself for sure.”
White joins a New England team that finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs last season. He was the first of New England’s two picks on the second day of the draft. The Patriots selected Sacramento State linebacker Marte Mapu with the 76th overall pick in the third round.
On Thursday, the Patriots moved back three spots in the first round and selected former Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez with the 17th pick.
“I didn’t have any contact with the Patriots. So it was a surprise to me,” White said. “I feel like our personalities mix well, though. So I feel like it’s a really good fit.”
“I’m a very big business person. So I’m not too big on the glitz and glamour of football,” White added. “I want to work. I want to win. And I feel like that’s what the Patriots offer. And I feel like that’s where we meet in the middle there.”
Also on Friday:
Quarterback Hendon Hooker, who played at Virginia Tech before transferring to Tennessee, was selected in the third round (68th overall) by the Detroit Lions. Hooker, a 6-3, 217-pounder from Greensboro, North Carolina, was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year after throwing for 3,135 yards and 27 touchdowns with just two interceptions last season. But his season ended after 11 starts when he suffered a torn ACL. Hooker started 15 games for Virginia Tech during 2019 and 2020.
