Kevin White: Scouting Report (with GIFs)

By Nick Hjeltness | Feb 22, 2015

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Pros, Cons, and a Summary of Kevin White

Aug 30, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers wide receiver Kevin White (11) reaches up to catch this pass over Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Landon Collins (26) and defensive back Bradley Sylve (3) in the third quarter of the 2014 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Combines Results:

6’3″, 215 pounds
4.35 official 40-yard dash
36.5″ vertical jump

Pros:

Consistently wins 50/50 balls at the high-point
Strong hands, catches naturally
Polished route-runner
Outstanding body control in air
Tracks ball very well
Comfortable with contact, catching in traffic
Fights for extra yards, hard to bring down
Decent run blocker, and willing

Cons

Tape doesn’t live up to 4.35 speed
Can improve release off LOS
Doesn’t make defenders miss in open field, though it’s not his game

Summary:

Kevin White’s game tape is excellent. He’s well-rounded and can beat you in a variety of ways, and I honestly had a hard time coming up with weaknesses for him.

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He has natural hands that allow him to catch the ball away from his body, and strong enough hands to hang onto the ball all the way through to the ground.

White wins jump balls more often than not, thanks to a few different things. He locates the ball quickly and effectively, has great size at 6″3″, a solid vertical jump, displays outstanding body control and then his hands do the rest.

His physical play style and solid frame allow him to be comfortable with contact, often making catches in traffic or with a defender draped all over him.

White is a very good route runner. But it’s not an elite trait and he can improve in this area.

More specifically, he does a nice job of sinking his hips, getting in and out of cuts and is efficient with his footwork.

Where he can improve is with his release off the line of scrimmage. There were times where he would get jammed, and was unable to get free.

One thing I really liked about White is that on many of the plays, he fought hard for extra yards, and often would gain an extra yard or two on just pure effort and strength. He’s very tough to bring down.

A useful trait that White possesses, that doesn’t get talked about much, is that he draws a lot of pass interference penalties. His physical play style forces defensive backs to fight him for the ball, and the defensive player almost always gets called for the flag in these situations.

White ran a 4.35 40-yard dash at the combine, which surprised many. While this is outstanding, even in hindsight, it’s hard to see that speed on tape.

It showed up on a few examples but all in all, White doesn’t play as fast as that time indicates. Even going back and watching after, I would have guessed about 4.46 or so.

Heading into the combine, I had Kevin White ranked as my #3 WR, behind Dorial-Green Beckham and Amari Cooper, but all three were very close (all three were in my top 13 overall).

Post-combine, I’m not sure I can put White ahead of Cooper quite yet because while his top-end speed is impressive, White doesn’t play as fast as his time indicates, and Cooper had a great combine himself.

Also, Cooper is an elite route-runner, a trait that tends to translate better to the NFL.

But on the other side, White is the type of receiver who could be excellent for a developing QB. You can just throw the ball in his direction and feel comfortable that he is going to come down with it.

White’s impressive combine has moved his comparison from a player like DeAndre Hopkins, to someone like Julio Jones.

So the debate for what Oakland should do at 4th overall rages on, with White making it an even more difficult decision than it already was.

If the Raiders are settled on going with a WR, both would be outstanding choices. It’s a coin flip.

Amari Cooper, Kevin White, Dante Fowler, Vic Beasley, Randy Gregory are all possibilities. Leonard Williams certainly if he falls would be the top choice. And a trade down could an option as well.

What do you want the Raiders to do with the 4th overall pick?

Next: Amari Cooper: Prospect Breakdown (with GIFs)

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