“The other Kevin White” went undrafted because of a concern that he couldn’t hang with quicker wide receivers in the league. In particular, he was burned all game by wide receiver Tyler Lockett in TCU’s game against Kansas State this year.
His smallish size is not coveted in today’s cornerbacks, where general managers are all looking for the next Richard Sherman -- a gangly edge-setter who is a physical terror. White has the playing style of a boundary corner, but he lacks the size to win against outside receivers consistently. Still, he lacks the change-of-direction to consistently beat slot receivers. What do you do with a player like this?
You get a major discount on him after the Draft, that’s what.
The Atlanta Falcons nabbed White as a priority free agent to help bolster their depleted secondary. If anyone can help White hone his game, it’s the mastermind behind the Seahawks’ “Legion of Boom,” new Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn. With White’s natural ferocity and ball-hawking ability, Quinn can train him to use instincts to make up for physical lack. It doesn’t hurt that he’ll have plenty of chances to play, with how bad Atlanta’s defense has been. Atlanta ranked 28th in our schedule-adjusted Defensive Passing Net Expected Points (NEP) metric on a per-play basis last season.