4 Patriots most to blame for the team's disastrous 1-4 start

3. Keion White

Matthew Judon's injury is a big blow to the Patriots defense. They did not have a ferocious pass rush with him in the mix and his absence only compounds the team's deficiencies when it comes to harassing opposing quarterbacks.

New England spent a valuable second-round draft pick on Keion White last season to take some pressure off of Judon. Instead of blossoming into a key contributor in his second season as a pro, the former Georgia Tech edge rusher is languishing behind Deatrich Wise on the depth chart.

His inability to turn his potential and speed on the edge into production is a big reason why the Patriots lack a quality pass rush in Judon's absence. The team might need to force-feed White snaps on obvious passing downs in the coming weeks to see if he will sink or swim as an NFL player. That's not the risk any organization wants to be forced to take with a second-round pick in their second season.

It's too early for New England to give up on White entirely, but this is his chance to step up and prove he's capable of playing meaningful snaps. If he can't fill some of the void created by Judon's injury then the word "bust" is going to be thrown around regarding the unproven edge rusher.