Patriots Met With Standout Defender Who Wants To Play With New England Star

The New England Patriots are meeting with a large group of players during the Senior Bowl this week.

And South Carolina standout edge-rusher Kyle Kennard can be added to the list of players that have had a face-to-face with New England’s contingent that traveled to Mobile, Ala.

Kennard told reporters Wednesday he met with the Patriots, according to CLNS Media’s Taylor Kyles. Kennard seems like an ideal fit for the Patriots since they are in need of pass rushers after finishing last in the NFL in sacks this past season.

Landing with the Patriots would go over well with Kennard, who would be reunited with his former college teammate Keion White in New England. The two are close, with Kennard even calling White a “big brother” figure.

“We actually talked the other day about the Senior Bowl and how did he do it and what he did when he was here,” Kennard told reporters, per video from Ben Belford-Peltzman. “It would mean a lot just to play alongside my guy one more time.”

White and Kennard played together for two seasons at Georgia Tech before the Patriots selected White in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Kennard is in a similar position now and projected to be a Day 2 draft pick after he blossomed this season with South Carolina following a modest four seasons with Georgia Tech. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound defensive lineman led the SEC with 11.5 sacks and accumulated 16 tackles for loss this season en route to being named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Kennard joined a list of star-studded players — Will Anderson Jr., Chase Young, Bradley Chubb — when he walked away with the Nagurski Award, given to college football’s most outstanding defender.

The Patriots have been linked to Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter with the No. 4 overall pick. But if Mike Vrabel and company pivot to another player or Carter isn’t available when New England gets on the clock, the Patriots could turn to Kennard in the second round.

The Patriots have certainly been busy this week as Kennard isn’t the only draft prospect they are doing their homework on. It was also reported Tuesday that they paid close attention to another position of need by meeting with a handful of wide receivers, including Maryland’s Tai Felton, Utah State’s Jalen Royals and Illinois’ Pat Bryant.