2015 NFL Draft: West Virginia WR Kevin White Breaking Out in Big Way
Sep 13, 2014; College Park, MD, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers wide receiver Kevin White (11) gains yards after his catch against the Maryland Terrapins at Byrd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Every year, players come out of nowhere to emerge as potential high NFL Draft picks, and 2014 is no different. This year, we’re seeing a breakout season from West Virginia senior wide receiver Kevin White, a 6’3″ 210 pound kid with soft hands and an ability to make acrobatic catches.
After transferring from Lackawanna College, a junior college, White played his first season with the Mountaineers in Dana Holgorson’s offense last year, and had some flashes of brilliance but often was out of place, not running routes properly, and just generally having to use his inherent athletic ability to make any kind of play at all.
That appears to have changed this season, as White is looking like a much more polished receiver, still raw but using his athletic gifts as well as his brain to make plays.
It’s working.
Watching White against Maryland this past Saturday and then looking back on the footage vs. Alabama a couple of weeks ago, it’s clear that this kid is a top 64 NFL Draft prospect candidate with some serious ability, a guy that is bursting onto the scene as I type and having NFL scouts scrambling for more tape.
All I can say is, “Wow.”
I’m incredibly impressed by this young player, especially considering a few things. There was no real way the Mountaineers were going to beat the Crimson Tide in their first matchup of the season, but White sure made it known that he was here to stay in that game.
The acrobatic catches, the yards after catch, and the soft hands are just some of the traits that stand out about this guy, but this wasn’t even his best game of the season. Just wait until that Maryland tape comes out…
If White continues this pace (he’s already on pace to shatter last year’s totals), I think we could see this guy rise into the top 64 picks, perhaps even the top 50. He’s definitely raw, but he is a playmaker and with soft hands, an ability to high point the ball, and an aggressive mentality after the catch, there’s no doubt about it that White is an NFL receiver.