Former ODU defensive lineman Keion White selected by Patriots in the NFL draft’s second round; offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri picked by Saints in fourth

Keion White’s odyssey from unheralded high school player to Old Dominion and Georgia Tech and the NFL was completed Friday night when he was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round.

White, a 6-foot-5, 286-pound defensive lineman from Garner, North Carolina, was the 46th overall selection.

White played two seasons for ODU in 2018 and 2019 before transferring to Georgia Tech. He moved from tight end to defensive line at Old Dominion and in 2019 finished with 62 tackles and matched a single-season school record with 19 tackles for loss.

On Saturday, ODU offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri was the first pick of the day in what turned out to be an historic draft for the Monarchs. Saldiveri was picked by New Orleans with the 103rd overall selection after the Saints made a trade with the Chicago Bears to acquire the pick.

ODU cornerback Tre Hawkins III and tight end Zack Kuntz waited a little longer Saturday to hear their names: Hawkins was a sixth-round pick (209th overall) by the New York Giants and Kuntz was a seventh-round selection (220th) by the New York Jets.

Saldiveri, Hawkins and Kuntz — the first ODU trio to go in the NFL draft — became the Monarchs’ first draft picks since since Oshane Ximines (third round, 95th overall) and receiver Travis Fulgham (sixth round, 184th overall) in 2019.

Salvideri, a 6-6, 315-pounder from Waxhaw, North Carolina, started 35 games over his final three seasons at ODU and a was a second-team All-Sun Belt pick by Phil Steele last season.

Hawkins, a 6-3, 195-pounder from Temple, Texas, started 25 games for the Monarchs over the past two seasons and set a single-season record for tackles by a cornerback with 76 in 2021.

Kuntz, a 6-7, 255-pounder who transferred to ODU from Penn State, missed about half of last season with a knee injury. The Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, native was a first-team All-Conference USA pick in 2021 after finishing second in the country among tight ends with 73 receptions.

Kuntz was injured in the Monarchs’ fifth game this season and didn’t return to the field, but he was healthy for last month’s NFL Combine and put up impressive numbers, including a 4.55-second, 40-yard dash, 40-inch vertical leap and a 10-foot-8 broad jump.

At Georgia Tech, White missed most of the 2021 season with an injury before starting 12 games last season, leading Georgia Tech’s defensive linemen in tackles with 54 and registering team-highs in tackles for loss (14) and sacks (7½).

“There’s still so much stuff to learn,” White told reporters after he was selected. “The transition was for the best. It got me to this point now. But I’m still working. I’m still improving, I feel like we all are. No matter if you’re an All-Pro or you’re a rookie.”

White’s reaction — or more accurately his lack of reaction — to being drafted by New England quickly made the rounds on social media Friday night. White, sitting with his family, didn’t smile or offer much emotion while the camera was on him.

“I don’t know if y’all seen on TV, but I’m a pretty chill person,” White said. “So I’m not very like explosive in excitement in any form. So I’ve just kind of been taking it in and I haven’t even talked to my family, to be honest. I’ve just kind of taken it all in and handled it myself for sure.”

White joins a New England team that finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs last season. He was the first of New England’s two picks on the second day of the draft. The Patriots selected Sacramento State linebacker Marte Mapu with the 76th overall pick in the third round.

On Thursday, the Patriots moved back three spots in the first round and selected former Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez with the 17th pick.

“I didn’t have any contact with the Patriots. So it was a surprise to me,” White said. “I feel like our personalities mix well, though. So I feel like it’s a really good fit.”

“I’m a very big business person. So I’m not too big on the glitz and glamour of football,” White added. “I want to work. I want to win. And I feel like that’s what the Patriots offer. And I feel like that’s where we meet in the middle there.”

Also on Friday, quarterback Hendon Hooker, who played at Virginia Tech before transferring to Tennessee, was selected in the third round (68th overall) by the Detroit Lions. Hooker, a 6-3, 217-pounder from Greensboro, North Carolina, was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year after throwing for 3,135 yards and 27 touchdowns with just two interceptions last season. But his season ended after 11 starts when he suffered a torn ACL. Hooker started 15 games for Virginia Tech during 2019 and 2020.

On Saturday:

• Virginia Tech’s Chamarri Conner was selected in the fourth round at No. 119 overall by the Kansas City Chiefs. Conner had 314 tackles, 21 TFLs, 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and four interceptions in his career with the Hokies. He was a two-time All-ACC selection and finished 10th all-time in career tackles in school history.
• William & Mary right tackle Colby Sorsdal was the 17th pick in the fifth round (152nd overall) by the Detroit Lions. Sorsdal, a 6-5, 307-pounder, was an FCS All-American last season, helping the Tribe finish 11-2 and reach the FCS quarterfinals with the country’s third-ranked offense in total rushing yards. The Pittsburgh native started 46 games at William & Mary. He’s the Tribe’s first draft pick since safety DeAndre Houston-Carson, a sixth-round selection in 2016.
• Michigan center Olu Oluwatimi, who played at UVA before transferring, was selected in the fifth round (154th overall) by the Seattle Seahawks.
• Virginia wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks was the 24th pick of the fifth round (159th overall) by the Green Bay Packers. Wicks, 6-1, 206 pounds, in 2021 broke Herman Moore’s UVA single-season record with 1,203 receiving yards. He missed two games last season with an injury, and the Cavaliers’ final two games were canceled after the on-campus shooting deaths of three UVA players.
• Liberty wide receiver Demario Douglas was a sixth-round pick (210th overall) by New England. The 5-8, 179-pounder led the Flames in receiving for a second straight year last season with 79 catches for 993 yards and six touchdowns.