If the next Julio Jones or Brandon Marshall is available in the 2015 NFL Draft, expect West Virginia wide receiver Kevin White to take the role.
NFL Media analysts Daniel Jeremiah and Charles Davis made the two comparisons for White on NFL Network's "Path to the Draft" on Thursday, setting some high expectations for a player who could be chosen among the draft's top five picks. For Davis, the best comparison for White is Marshall, who will try to renew his career with the New York Jets this fall.
"It's his ability to go down the field, go over the top and attack the football," Davis said. "The way they go and get the ball, use their bodies to keep people away from it, and they play angry. And that's a good thing. Let's face it, nobody plays as angry at the wide receiver position as Steve Smith, but anyone in the next tier, I think Kevin White plays that way. He played last year with something to prove to people, and I believe he accomplished just that."
All six NFL Media mock drafts project the Oakland Raiders to choose a wide receiver with the No. 4 overall pick, and four of them foresee it being White. Jeremiah and Davis project White to be chosen at No. 10 by the St. Louis Rams and No. 12 by the Cleveland Browns, respectively. Jeremiah said White is similar to Jones for some of the same attributes Davis noted. Jones has emerged as one of the NFL's elite receivers after four years with the Atlanta Falcons.
"They're very big, they're very physical. They go up and attack the football down the field," Jeremiah said. "You can't get your hands on them, they're just too strong. And when you watched them on tape, you thought they were fast, but they surprised us at the combine with just how explosive and how fast they were because they make it look so easy. I think whoever lands Kevin White is going to get a very similar football player."
White began his senior year with seven consecutive 100-yard receiving games for the Mountaineers and quickly began buzzing among NFL scouts as a highly draftable talent. He finished the season with 109 catches for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns, and followed with an impressive 4.35 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine in February.
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