Kevin White caught 109 passes his last year at West Virginia, and he was a physical freak at the combine in 2015, running a 4.35 at 217 pounds – seemed like another Andre Johnson. But that was over two years ago, and as the months go by, it’s looking less and less likely that White will ever fulfill his vast potential.
White has been hurt for most of his first two seasons, and when he’s been out there, he’s been ordinary. That unreal size-speed combo hasn’t been apparent on the field – he hasn’t created mismatches. He caught mostly short passes last year and did little with them after the catch. He’s not bursting behind defenses with that speed, and he’s making contested catches or creating yards after contact.
It’s slipped to the point now that receivers coach Zach Azzanni is trying to stop Kevin White from reading the newspaper to boost his confidence. Azzanni on Monday had White watch his 2014 West Virginia highlights tape – trying to remind him how good he can be.
"We've got to block out the noise with him," Azzanni said. "I can't let him read papers and (listen) to the media. I just can't. Because there is going to be some negative in there that gets in his head. And he can't let that happen. He has to be positive. And we've got to go in our bunker all the time and tell him how great he is. Because he is."
Can White turns things around? Maybe. But I’m of the school of thought that if White was going to develop into a Pro Bowl type wide receiver, we would have seen more from him in his first two years (when he was healthy).
I would much rather select White’s teammate, Cameron Meredith. As an undrafted free agent, he’s had to fight his way onto the roster the last two years, and he’s excelled with his limited chances.
After White got hurt last year, Meredith stepped in an averaged 5 catches and 70 yards in the final 12 games of the season. Among receivers with at least 12 starts, only 12 averaged better per-game numbers last year. Meredith looks like he could be one of the most undervalued receivers in drafts this August.
| WIDE RECEIVERS WITH 12 STARTS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | St | No | Yds | TD | FPG |
| Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 15 | 7.1 | 85.6 | .80 | 13.4 |
| Jordy Nelson, G.B. | 16 | 6.1 | 78.6 | .88 | 13.1 |
| Mike Evans, T.B. | 16 | 6.0 | 82.6 | .79 | 13.0 |
| Julio Jones, Atl. | 14 | 5.9 | 100.6 | .43 | 12.6 |
| Odell Beckham Jr., NYG | 16 | 6.3 | 85.4 | .63 | 12.4 |
| T.Y. Hilton, Ind. | 16 | 5.7 | 90.5 | .40 | 11.4 |
| Michael Thomas, N.O. | 15 | 6.1 | 75.8 | .60 | 11.2 |
| Davante Adams, G.B. | 16 | 4.7 | 62.3 | .77 | 10.9 |
| Brandin Cooks, N.O. | 16 | 4.9 | 73.3 | .50 | 10.5 |
| Dez Bryant, Dall. | 13 | 3.8 | 61.2 | .67 | 10.1 |
| Doug Baldwin, Sea. | 16 | 5.9 | 70.5 | .48 | 9.9 |
| Michael Crabtree, Oak. | 16 | 5.6 | 62.7 | .52 | 9.4 |
| Cameron Meredith, Chi. | 12 | 5.0 | 69.7 | .39 | 9.4 |
| Amari Cooper, Oak. | 16 | 5.2 | 72.1 | .35 | 9.3 |
| Rishard Matthews, Ten. | 16 | 4.1 | 59.1 | .56 | 9.3 |
| Tyrell Williams, S.D. | 16 | 4.3 | 66.2 | .44 | 9.2 |
| Jarvis Landry, Mia. | 16 | 5.9 | 71.0 | .27 | 8.8 |
| Demaryius Thomas, Den. | 16 | 5.6 | 67.7 | .33 | 8.8 |
| Kenny Britt, L.A. | 15 | 4.5 | 66.8 | .33 | 8.7 |
| Larry Fitzgerald, Ariz. | 16 | 6.7 | 63.9 | .38 | 8.7 |
| Julian Edelman, N.E. | 16 | 6.1 | 69.1 | .21 | 8.5 |
| Kelvin Benjamin, Car. | 16 | 3.9 | 58.8 | .44 | 8.5 |
| Terrelle Pryor, Cle. | 16 | 4.8 | 62.9 | .33 | 8.4 |
| Stefon Diggs, Min. | 13 | 6.5 | 69.5 | .23 | 8.4 |
| Golden Tate, Det. | 16 | 5.7 | 67.3 | .27 | 8.4 |
| Emmanuel Sanders, Den. | 16 | 4.9 | 64.5 | .31 | 8.4 |
| DeSean Jackson, Was. | 15 | 3.7 | 67.0 | .27 | 8.3 |
| Jamison Crowder, Was. | 16 | 4.2 | 52.9 | .50 | 8.3 |
| Mike Wallace, Balt. | 16 | 4.5 | 63.6 | .27 | 8.2 |
| Steve Smith Sr., Balt. | 14 | 5.0 | 57.1 | .41 | 8.1 |
| Adam Thielen, Min. | 16 | 4.3 | 60.4 | .31 | 8.0 |
—Ian Allan