Why Keion White is in position to succeed on 49ers’ D-line after Patriots trade

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...