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Position
Wide Receiver
School
West Virginia
Size
6'3, 215 pounds
Strengths
White is going to make his money as a redzone ace. His vertical ability is some of the best that I have ever seen. He explodes off of the ground and has strong hands at the catch point. White is able to pluck the ball out of the air with ease. In the following clip, White fights through contact and highpoints the ball at just the right time. The defender didn't have a chance.
White is a smooth, fluid, explosive athlete. He gets up to speed very quickly with explosive strides. He sets up defenders very well on his release. His suddenness and ultra light feet make him a nightmare to press. I wouldn't call White a great route runner right now, but that can be polished over time. Here's a good example of White's ability to get free against man coverage. He completely freezes the defender as he sells the outside move, then cuts up the field.
I don't usually talk about the mental side of players, but with White I think it's necessary to mention. He plays with a certain intensity that's nearly impossible to match. You can see that he has a fiery passion for the game and is a competitor in every sense of the word. If he beats a defender, he's gonna let him know about it. His effort level is always at 100 percent.
Weaknesses
There really isn't much not to like here. I'm nitpicking, but White tends to lose concentration when in traffic. You'll see the occasional drop when he's anticipating contact. From off of the top of my head I can remember a couple of key drops against Alabama and Texas A&M.
White is going to have to clean up some sloppy route running. On dig and curl routes he tends to round them off instead of making crisp cuts and plants. He has number one wide out written all over him, but he'll have to get more efficient in the middle of the field first.
Summary
Kevin White has top five potential in this class. He destroyed the combine, answering all questions about his long speed when he ran a 4.3 in the 40 yard dash. He has a real shot to be the first receiver taken in this year's draft. He and Amari Cooper are 1A and 1B to me. They both win in different ways, but both are worthy of top ten selections. Ultimately, I think White comes off of the board first simply due to his outstanding vertical ability. I think the Raiders at pick number four are where you can start expecting White's name to be called. I don't see any way White falls past the Rams at ten.
Draft Projection
Top ten