Jerod Mayo Reveals the Patriots' Most Surprising Player From OTAs So Far

The New England Patriots' offseason kicked up a notch last week with the start of OTAs. These workouts provide young players or newcomers a chance to get some early work in, especially as veterans tend to take things easy during the summer.

And it turns out, one contributor who only recently entered the NFL is already making a big impression on the coaching staff.

Pats head coach Jerod Mayo was asked on Wednesday about which player has surprised him over the first week or so of OTAs. The first-time HC highlighted EDGE Keion White, noting the 2023 second-round pick has offered a legitimate leadership presence despite his lack of experience.

Mayo also went on to say White is speaking up more in team meetings as he prepares for his sophomore campaign.

Patriots fans have to absolutely love this from White. He's coming off of a rookie season that saw his production lack with just 1.0 sacks and three tackles for loss across 16 games, but it's clear he's putting in the work this summer to make sure he lives up to his lofty draft status.

Even better, White offering leadership and becoming more vocal shows his confidence has grown with an NFL season now under his belt. He likely was focused on just learning the system as a first-year player, but heading into his second campaign with that knowledge already down, he can start to become a tone-setter and mentor to any incoming players.

These are the positive signs an organization wants to see from a player who didn't enjoy as much success as they'd hoped. It also speaks to White's potential as a legitimate long-term building block if he takes on a clear leadership role within the locker room and becomes a guy everyone on defense looks to.

It's still early in the offseason ramp-up period, but this is the kind of insight that could point to a big step forward in year two for the young pass-rusher.

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