5 Patriots Midseason Award Winners

Patriots Defensive Rookie of the Year: Keion White

There isn't much competition going on with this award, which is why it was an easy choice to go with Keion White as the midseason Defensive Rookie of the Year.

White has done well at handling the pressure that comes with being a second-round selection. Playing 36% of defensive snaps thus far, the 24-year-old edge rusher has tallied seven total tackles, one tackle for lost yardage, and a broken-up pass. He's also tied for the team lead in quarterback hurries (7) while ranking sixth with seven pressures.

Pro Football Focus lists White as the Patriots' ninth-best defender with an overall defensive grade of 64.8. That grade is also good enough to rank him 57th out of 107 edge rushers in the NFL, meaning he's better than nearly half the players at his position.

The main disappointing thing about White's play is that he still doesn't have a sack despite recording 7.5 in his final year at Georgia Tech. However, one he figures out how to be an effective pass-rusher, the rest of the league will be on notice.