LB Devin White – 6-0, 237 – 22 years old – 2nd season

The current NFL covets size, speed, smarts and leadership at the linebacker position above all else, so White being a Top 5 pick a year ago was no surprise to anyone. I’m not sure I ever mocked another player to the Bucs from February on – and PewterReport.com was the first to mock White to the Bucs dating back to January 2019 – as it was that obvious the team was going to select White if he was still on the board.

One of four LSU linebackers currently on the roster, White was probably the dream draft selection for general manager Jason Licht, who has drafted or signed five LSU ‘backers during his seven-year tenure in Tampa Bay. White is by far the most pedigreed former Tiger to join the team in that time, showing all of the raw traits that franchise decision-makers covet at the position after running a 4.42 40 and jumping almost 40 inches at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Unfortunately, White’s college tape was much like his NFL rookie tape, with plenty of flash and excitement, but still lacking in consistency. White is still very much a work-in-progress with his reads and execution from the second level, playing a step slow at times and struggling to get off of blocks.

That’s Saints right guard Larry Warford taking White for a rough ride over 10 yards downfield before depositing him to the ground.

White is a little late to fire into the C-gap here, and gets corralled by the down blocking tight end. He’s still learning to trust his instincts, play forward and take on blocks square so he doesn’t get sealed off. All important, but normal struggles for a rookie linebacker in the NFL.

What I love about White is that he’s super twitched up and can make blockers miss in space with ease. That’s arguably more important than stacking and shedding at the second level, as linebackers primarily need to beat blockers to spots in order to be successful.

The Falcons get about a five-and-a-half man box to run to, so White doesn’t have a lot of margin for error if he overruns this fit. Instead, he plays it perfectly balanced, reads through the trash to track the back, dodges the center’s block and makes the tackle for no gain. Terrific play.

This is what I mean by playing ahead of and around blockers, as White gets play-side before Warford can cut him off, then goes above him to cut back and make the tackle for a short gain. Terrific vision and agility to finish another tough play.

Get White working laterally, and he’s just a different animal. His ability to play through trash and make insanely rangy plays is rare for a rookie. Everyone talks about his run-down of Seahawks running back Chris Carson last season, but that was just one of the many plays that showed White playing at 4.4 speed on the field. When he’s processing fast, the results are devastating for opposing offenses.

Not only a great read and a highly athletic play from the backside, but also a quality stick with force to drop the back for no gain. White will miss some tackles in space at times, but he brings throwback hitting power when he can line up a ball carrier in the box. Despite being listed under 240 pounds, White is not a small, new-age linebacker. He’s stacked with muscle and shows plenty of that strength in games.

Big-time play to stack the guard, then bust tail when the ball bounces to make a huge tackle short of the sticks. This was one of the plays that made my eyes pop when analyzing White. When the ball goes horizontal, White is already really good. Now he just has to get his processing and take-on skills ready to defend against more vertical rushing schemes. That part was hit-or-miss as a rookie.

One area where White did really struggle was in pass coverage. A lot of fans think if you’re a great athlete, pass coverage should come easily to you as a linebacker, but that isn’t typically how it works. Athleticism always helps, but zone coverage is about feel, instincts and mental processing as much as it is movement skills, and even the most athletic linebacker can be toasted in coverage if his technique isn’t on point.

Here’s an example of White’s eyes wandering in zone coverage, as he oversteps to the middle of the field (maybe chasing Alvin Kamara), rather than occupying his zone and looking for incoming threats. As a result, Michael Thomas is able to cross behind him for a huge gain.

White flies out to the perimeter to defend the quick pass to the flat, but overruns it and leaves himself vulnerable for an angle route. The running back sticks his foot in the ground and breaks back toward the center of the field, leaving White in recovery mode.

There were games where White struggled a bit as a tackler, but overall I did not see it as a major issue. His form isn’t sloppy, and linebackers will miss tackles at times. It comes with the territory in today’s NFL of getting running backs the ball in space and perimeter run schemes that don’t allow linebackers to line up targets downhill like they used to. I wouldn’t be too worried about White’s tackling moving forward, he’ll just have to continue to make sure he’s not overrunning players in space, which you could see him make a concerted effort to avoid last season.

Bucs LB Devin White – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

White filled up the stat sheet as a rookie, with 91 tackles, four tackles for loss, one interception, four fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles, 2.5 sacks, three pass breakups and two defensive touchdowns. Those box score results aren’t dissimilar to his college resume at LSU, but consistency remains lacking. That’s not surprising or concerning for an NFL rookie, and White has considerably more upside than most players at his position.

There will be some frustrating plays, even this upcoming season, but White has already shown flashes of playing at NFL speed and making big-time plays, while having the necessary work ethic, physicality and play demeanor to be a special linebacker in time. I’d expect his rawness to pass as he continues to get more reps, giving way to a rising star in the next year or two.