The New England Patriots are trying some new things at training camp. During Monday's practice, defensive lineman Keion White lined up at fullback for a few snaps -- his first time at the spot.
After practice, White said he was "trying new things out, just seeing where I can go, anything I can do." White, who played some tight end in college, said he is "trying to get back to that." When asked how he feels he did, White said "today was Day 1. I haven't even watched the film yet, so we'll see."
The defensive end said he hasn't evaluated his time at fullback, but he's had a lot of time to check out how the defense is looking as their first preseason game approaches. White said he feels like as a group, they are cleaning up their technique and adjusting as needed.
White told CBS Sports that his personal goals are to be a "dominant player, striking with my hands ... getting vertical separation and getting off the ball and making my tackles."
As for their goal as a unit? That's simple: Be the best.
"[Our goal as] a unit [is to be] the No. 1 defense. That's always the goal, to be No. 1," White said.
With a defensive-minded first-year head coach in Jerod Mayo, a new offensive coordinator in Alex Van Pelt and a new quarterback, whether it's Jacoby Brissett or Drake Maye, the offense is starting behind the defense, which is coming off a solid year. The offense is coming off a hectic season of struggles, which resulted in major changes to the team.
As the offense is expected to have some growing pains, the defense will need to carry a lot of the weight if this team wants to see some wins. Becoming the No. 1 defense would certainly help.
There may be some outside pressure for the defense, but it isn't something White or the defense is concerned about. The second-rounder jokes that he stopped listening to people on social media when they said he would be drafted in the first round.
"You gotta kind of ignore the noise and control what you can control, which is every day out here at practice," he said.
White didn't have too much to say about the offense, explaining that he doesn't see their notes or what they're trying to work on, but did compliment the group, saying he feels like both sides are getting better.
The Patriots are set to face the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night and while White is unsure how much playing time he will get, he's looking forward to "going against somebody else finally."
