First receiver taken might just be White
Impressive athlete has stats, speed
The potential was always there for Kevin White.
At 6 feet 3 and 210 pounds — with expansive hands that don’t catch footballs, but swallow them — he has the look of an elite NFL wide receiver.
But for the longest time, everything else that must come with that promise was glaringly absent. First, there were the subpar grades coming out of high school in Emmaus, Pa., that forced him to junior college for two years. Then it was a solid, if unspectacular, junior season at West Virginia where his modest production — 35 catches (third on the team) and five touchdowns — belied his immense ceiling.
In eight months, those shortcomings became a distant memory and because of that, White’s life will never be the same.
A breakthrough senior season coupled with an eyebrow-raising performance at the NFL combine has transformed him from a tantalizing but perplexing prospect into a near-consensus top-10 pick in the draft, a meteoric rise that’s hard for even White to believe.
“I didn’t know all of this stuff came with it, with the shoe deals and flying everywhere and everybody wanting to see me and talk to me,” he said. “It’s been amazing. I’m blessed and honored to be in the position I am today.”
The foundation of White’s ascent up draft boards is his tape from the 2014 season. He had the numbers needed to be a first-round pick — 109 catches for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns — but also showed a propensity for highlight reel-worthy plays, the one-handed catches and weaves through crowded secondaries that looked almost effortless with his speed and athleticism.
His stock took another leap in February at the combine, where a receiver more known for his physicality and leaping ability ran the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds, the third-best time of any wideout. That speed blew away even those who watched him the closest.
“When I was watching it, after about the first 15 yards, I went ‘Whoa,’ ” West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said. “I was obviously proud of him. He’s like ‘What’s the big deal? I don’t understand why you guys didn’t think I could run.’
“I was surprised. I think it was because we saw his other physical skills that kind of overshadowed his speed.”
Virtually all mock drafts have White slotted as a top10 pick, with the most common destinations, barring a trade, being Oakland at No. 4, Chicago at No. 7 and St. Louis at No. 10.
White’s surge has thrust him into a debate about whether Alabama’s Amari Cooper would be the first receiver selected.
Though the Crimson Tide’s Heisman Trophy finalist is viewed as the more polished product, many are enamored with what White could become.
“I've got Kevin White above him because he has a higher ceiling,” NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said of White's status in relation to Cooper. “I think his potential is greater.”
After White, there’s a bit of a dropoff with West Virginia’s NFL prospects. Offensive lineman Mark Glowinski is projected as a fourth-to-sixth-round pick, wide receiver Mario Alford is viewed as a fifth-round pick, while defensive end Shaquille Riddick and offensive lineman Quinton Spain are projected as late-round picks.