Reception Perception: How Kevin White Began His Ascension to the Top
By: Matt Harmon
April 6th, 2015
April 6th, 2015
Kevin White kicked off the 2014 season by tearing through Alabama, and went on to become one of the best receivers in the draft (Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports)
A new year can bring about wholesale change in an individual’s life, whether though refreshers or a reconstruction of personal outlooks. A change in the calendar provides us with a chance to take previously built work to new levels, or to wipe the slate clean if need be. Much in the same way, a new season’s worth of time can drastically alter the course of an NFL Draft prospect’s perception and value. One example of a player held in much higher regard, than he would have been a year ago, is Kevin White.
White came to West Virginia after starting his playing career at the JUCO level. He failed to impress during his first year at WVU, recording only 35 catches and just over 500 yards. There was not much to discuss in terms of Kevin White’s draft stock. That did not last long. White put on a show his senior season, amassing 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns on 109 receptions. By the conclusion of his final collegiate campaign, his name was mentioned as a surefire first rounder.
The buzz grew as the process played out, especially now with the draft less than a month away. Kevin White has risen to the very top of wide receiver ranks to compete with the ever-solid Amari Cooper for the highest honors in the class. The film told the story of a dynamic player, and White put an exclamation point on that with an explosive combine performance. Even his biggest supporters weren’t expecting him to run anything close to a 4.35 in the 40-yard dash. It appears any concerns about a lack of athleticism were unfounded, as White fell into the 90th percentile of NFL receiver athletes (per Zach Whitman’s SPARQ scores).
Seemingly a “one year wonder”, Kevin White is battling with a much more established player, in Cooper, to be the first receiver selected. As such, it’s important to look back at how the rise all began for the former Mountaineers receiver. What did he show at the beginning of this season that led to a launch up the draft board? Think of this edition of Reception Perception as Kevin White’s origin story.
Disclaimer: usually a full season profile of Reception Perception works through eight games of a receiver. Unfortunately, with the scarcity of all-22 footage available on college prospects, that was not possible. For the purposes of this profile, we’ll be working strictly off Kevin White’s 2014 games against Alabama. I’ve been exposed to other games of White’s and all views in this article would extrapolate to those, as well. Additionally, if at any point during this profile you are not clear on a Reception Perception statistic, please refer to this page for clarity.
ALIGNMENT DATA
White came to West Virginia after starting his playing career at the JUCO level. He failed to impress during his first year at WVU, recording only 35 catches and just over 500 yards. There was not much to discuss in terms of Kevin White’s draft stock. That did not last long. White put on a show his senior season, amassing 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns on 109 receptions. By the conclusion of his final collegiate campaign, his name was mentioned as a surefire first rounder.
The buzz grew as the process played out, especially now with the draft less than a month away. Kevin White has risen to the very top of wide receiver ranks to compete with the ever-solid Amari Cooper for the highest honors in the class. The film told the story of a dynamic player, and White put an exclamation point on that with an explosive combine performance. Even his biggest supporters weren’t expecting him to run anything close to a 4.35 in the 40-yard dash. It appears any concerns about a lack of athleticism were unfounded, as White fell into the 90th percentile of NFL receiver athletes (per Zach Whitman’s SPARQ scores).
Seemingly a “one year wonder”, Kevin White is battling with a much more established player, in Cooper, to be the first receiver selected. As such, it’s important to look back at how the rise all began for the former Mountaineers receiver. What did he show at the beginning of this season that led to a launch up the draft board? Think of this edition of Reception Perception as Kevin White’s origin story.
Disclaimer: usually a full season profile of Reception Perception works through eight games of a receiver. Unfortunately, with the scarcity of all-22 footage available on college prospects, that was not possible. For the purposes of this profile, we’ll be working strictly off Kevin White’s 2014 games against Alabama. I’ve been exposed to other games of White’s and all views in this article would extrapolate to those, as well. Additionally, if at any point during this profile you are not clear on a Reception Perception statistic, please refer to this page for clarity.
ALIGNMENT DATA
In more than one of his recent podcast appearances, NFL Films’ Greg Cosell stated that Kevin White had some flashes of Terrell Owens to his game. The future Hall of Famer, Owens, was the classic, carved from stone X-receiver. White does carry the same the same 6’3 and rocked up build as Owens, although he’s about ten pounds lighter. Physically, there are some similarities between these two, and Cosell did mention the comparison was as pure “power players”.
Although White profiles as the X, he actually played a fair bit of flanker at West Virginia. In the game sampled for this study, he lined up at the right outside position on 82.3% of his snaps. He was back off the line of scrimmage 66.1% of the time. The flanker is typically behind the line, and on the same side of the field as other pass catchers, so they can be used creatively to find mismatches.
While Kevin White did primarily line up as the flanker in this game, some of the 82.3% of snaps he took at RWR were at the X spot. He also spent some time in the slot, and sweeping into the backfield on trick plays. Given his size and athletic profile, there really should not be any limitations on what receiver position White plays in the NFL. He’s big enough to be an X, savvy enough for flanker, and presents the potential for a frightening matchup in the slot.
TARGET DATA
In the most recent Reception Perception prospect profile, Sammie Coates was charted with a 33.3% target per route rate. This was in line the theory laid out in Amari Cooper’s evaluation; these college receivers would regularly post higher rates than NFL players. Kevin White’s sample from his game against Alabama did nothing to dispute that notion:
Although White profiles as the X, he actually played a fair bit of flanker at West Virginia. In the game sampled for this study, he lined up at the right outside position on 82.3% of his snaps. He was back off the line of scrimmage 66.1% of the time. The flanker is typically behind the line, and on the same side of the field as other pass catchers, so they can be used creatively to find mismatches.
While Kevin White did primarily line up as the flanker in this game, some of the 82.3% of snaps he took at RWR were at the X spot. He also spent some time in the slot, and sweeping into the backfield on trick plays. Given his size and athletic profile, there really should not be any limitations on what receiver position White plays in the NFL. He’s big enough to be an X, savvy enough for flanker, and presents the potential for a frightening matchup in the slot.
TARGET DATA
In the most recent Reception Perception prospect profile, Sammie Coates was charted with a 33.3% target per route rate. This was in line the theory laid out in Amari Cooper’s evaluation; these college receivers would regularly post higher rates than NFL players. Kevin White’s sample from his game against Alabama did nothing to dispute that notion:
Reports out of WVU leading up to the 2014 season were generally positive regarding White’s development. He was apparently putting in plenty of work to refine his craft, and studying film to further grasp how to improve against heightened competition. White demonstrated right away that was true, and the coaching staff displayed complete confidence in him. This was the first game of the season, and West Virginia tipped their hand in letting the world know the passing game would be built around Kevin White for the remainder.
White ran 33 qualifying routes for this one game Reception Perception sample, and he was targeted on 39.4% of them. All the work he put in during the offseason was rewarded right away, as he was crowned the number one receiver right away. He was lathered with targets in the first game of the season, and would go on to pace the team throughout the season.
Efficiency is also one of White’s strengths. Despite less desirable assistance from behind center, White maintained a catch rate of 69.2% in this game. There were a few instances where his quarterback just missed him, and placed the ball out of reach. On his end, White was nearly mistake-free in this game. He was consistently in the right place at the right time, and displayed excellent technique to haul in passes.
However, there was one target where Kevin White did let the ball slip, which comprised his 7.7% drop rate in this game. Worst of all, it came in the end zone. The quarterback laid a great pass right over his head on a fade, where White earned perfect separation. The ball fell right into his outstretched hands, but he failed to close the deal. White held his hands to his helmet in frustration, after the drop occurred.
As mentioned, White took pride in the work he put in after a slow season in 2013. One area where he reportedly really grinded to iron out issues was with focus drops. Seeing these demons reappear in his first game of a new season clearly bothered the senior wideout. The good news; White did not drop many more passes over the course of his final year in college. While this is still a small area of concern in his scouting report, it is an area that White has consistently worked to fix.
We looked at why Sammie Coates’ drop issues look to be tough maladies to fix in the NFL. Troubles in contested situations, and out of sync technique are old habit like stumbling blocks that do not fade away easily. White’s issues, if they are even still present, appeared to be derived from concentration. These brands of drops are easier to iron out of a player’s game than those connected with Coates. White displayed better than average technique for a college prospect, and times everything very well. There should be little, if any, concern with his hands.
White ran 33 qualifying routes for this one game Reception Perception sample, and he was targeted on 39.4% of them. All the work he put in during the offseason was rewarded right away, as he was crowned the number one receiver right away. He was lathered with targets in the first game of the season, and would go on to pace the team throughout the season.
Efficiency is also one of White’s strengths. Despite less desirable assistance from behind center, White maintained a catch rate of 69.2% in this game. There were a few instances where his quarterback just missed him, and placed the ball out of reach. On his end, White was nearly mistake-free in this game. He was consistently in the right place at the right time, and displayed excellent technique to haul in passes.
However, there was one target where Kevin White did let the ball slip, which comprised his 7.7% drop rate in this game. Worst of all, it came in the end zone. The quarterback laid a great pass right over his head on a fade, where White earned perfect separation. The ball fell right into his outstretched hands, but he failed to close the deal. White held his hands to his helmet in frustration, after the drop occurred.
As mentioned, White took pride in the work he put in after a slow season in 2013. One area where he reportedly really grinded to iron out issues was with focus drops. Seeing these demons reappear in his first game of a new season clearly bothered the senior wideout. The good news; White did not drop many more passes over the course of his final year in college. While this is still a small area of concern in his scouting report, it is an area that White has consistently worked to fix.
We looked at why Sammie Coates’ drop issues look to be tough maladies to fix in the NFL. Troubles in contested situations, and out of sync technique are old habit like stumbling blocks that do not fade away easily. White’s issues, if they are even still present, appeared to be derived from concentration. These brands of drops are easier to iron out of a player’s game than those connected with Coates. White displayed better than average technique for a college prospect, and times everything very well. There should be little, if any, concern with his hands.
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