In the weeks preceding the 2015 NFL draft, a pair of receivers emerged from the pack. One was regarded as more NFL-ready. The other was viewed as having a higher ceiling, and much more potential for greatness.
The Raiders took the safer choice at No. 4, selecting Alabama’s Amari Cooper. The Bears, with the seventh pick, opted for West Virginia wideout Kevin White.
Injuries derailed White’s career. He missed all of his rookie season due to a stress fracture in his shin. He played in four games in 2016 before suffering another leg fracture. In 2017, he broke a scapula in Week One. He appeared in nine games in 2018.
Out of football in 2019 after being cut in August by the Cardinals, he appeared in three games with the 49ers in 2020 before finding a sort-of home in New Orleans. In six games last year, he caught one pass for 38 yards. Last night, he generated the longest play of his NFL career, with a 64-yard catch and run. He almost scored what would have been his first NFL touchdown.
White thereafter wasn’t targeted for the remainder of the game.
Where his career goes from here remains to be seen. Now 30 years old, White deserves credit for persevering. It would have been very easy for him to walk away by now, with his four-year, fully-guaranteed haul of $15 million.
Hopefully, he’ll get more chances. He’s never had a lack of talent. But the game keeps moving, more players keep entering, and players who didn’t establish an early foothold can easily become forgotten.