SANTA CLARA — New 49ers defensive lineman Keion White is ready to help San Francisco get pressure on opposing quarterbacks, in any way possible.
The former New England Patriots defensive lineman will get a fresh start on Sunday when the 49ers travel to the East Coast to play the New York Giants.
“As a competitor you always want to play as much as possible,” White said on Thursday. “If it was up to me, I’d be on the field for all 80 snaps, so it’s always going to be frustrating not being out there. But you also got to understand everything fits inside the scheme. And so I was just trying to play my role.
White was on the field for 829 defensive plays (74 percent) during the 2024 NFL season, recording five quarterback sacks, 56 tackles — 31 solo, seven for a loss and 16 quarterback hits, his usage dropped to only 40 percent, or 123 defensive plays, in 2025.
After being drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft by then-coach Bill Belichick, White saw two new coaches, and a change in defensive schemes over his first three seasons.
White can play anywhere on the line but in 2024, he was asked to line up primarily on the edge, instead of on the interior, where he’s more comfortable.
“No knock to the guys over there, they had a system where I was outside,” White said. “I could have been better on the outside rushing, and roll with that. I could have done better.”
White understands he will need to earn a role, but with the injuries the 49ers have sustained on the defensive line, the Georgia Tech product could see a substantial amount of playing time.
White is ready to work with defensive line coach Kris Kocurek who keeps things simple for his group, asking them to simply get after the quarterback. The two were seen talking as White prepared to take his rep during warmups during the early portion of practice on Thursday.
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is excited to add another piece to the defensive front that is similar to 2025 first-round draft pick Mykel Williams who can play on both the interior and on the edge.
“Elite athlete,” Saleh said. “He’s got great length, size and speed. His short-area quickness, his ability to rush the passer on the inside again as another interior pass rusher, adding more depth to that. He kind of fits into that role we have, similar to Mykel outside being able to kick inside to be more of a speedy rusher active body. So, we’re looking forward to getting him out there.”
When facing the 49ers in 2025 as a member of the Patriots, White registered five quarterback pressures — two hits and three hurries. Coach Kyle Shanahan was impressed.
“Probably rushing from the inside,” White said of the game. “I feel like that’s what I do best. I did that last year and I guess that’s what they are impressed with.”
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