JBB Draft Profile: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia

Oct 18, 2014; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers wide receiver Kevin White (11) leaps to make a catch during the fourth quarter against the Baylor Bears at Milan Puskar Stadium. West Virginia Mountaineers defeated Baylor Bears 41-27. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Physical Attributes

White of course finished behind Amari Cooper in all the statistical categories, and does not have near the body of work as Cooper, who has been a starter for Alabama for three seasons now. White was the #1 receiver on a pass-happy offense, yet still didn’t put up the same numbers as the more highly-touted Cooper. So why White and not Cooper? Because the two are markedly different athletes.

The Raiders have been trying to find a big-bodied deep threat wideout now since Al Davis died. The new management has apparently moved away from Al Davis’ preference for speed over everything and has brought in bigger, heavier and stronger wideouts through the draft and free agency to try to give the offense that big weapon. Rod Streater (6’3″ 215) provided that in 2013, but with his injury in 2014 the Raiders tried to make it work with Andre Holmes (6’4″ 210) and Brice Butler (6’3″ 213).

Last year, Derek Carr’s second-leading receiver was 6’3″ TE Mychal Rivera, who occasionally was split wide, but as a tight end didn’t present the type of deep threat of a tall, fast type receiver. James Jones, 2014’s leading receiver for the Raiders, is not small at 6’1″ and 208, but presents more of the sturdy, stockier frame of a possession receiver, not a jump-ball threat. Modern NFL offenses like a big, tall, athletic wideout like Julio Jones or Calvin Johnson or Jordy Nelson. The Raiders may have that in Streater, but they could definitely have that in Kevin White.

White is 6’3″and somewhere in the 210-pound range. He’s tall, sturdy, and has long arms and good leaping ability that extends his vertical range even further as a wide receiver. He has been compared by some scouts and scouting analysts – notably Daniel Jeremiah – to Julio Jones in terms of his game and his physicality. While he hasn’t yet had a combine or pro day, some estimates of his speed have him in the high 4.4 range, which is about typical for a larger perimeter receiver. There’s also video of him on YouTube completing a 54-inch box jump while he was still in JUCO:

While his rangy arms and long locs remind some of Larry Fitzgerald, his measurables and play style are more alike the aforementioned Julio Jones or Michael Crabtree, in that his length and leaping ability allow him to play even taller than he is, yet he also has the sturdy frame and speed to do work underneath on slant and drag routes. If his combine numbers hold up to what he’s shown on tape, combined with his size, White has all the physical assets to be a premier outside wide receiver in the NFL.

Next: White Breakdown: Technique