Even before Rachaad White was drafted in the third round by the Bucs, he received generous comparisons to top NFL running backs. Those comparisons have included all-time greats like Eric Dickerson and Marcus Allen, along with more recent stars like David Johnson.

White, who will have a great opportunity to succeed in the Bucs’ offense, has already taken notes of Johnson. Most of the Bucs coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, were coaching Johnson during his breakout years and now will have the versatility of White at their behest.

“I paid attention to seeing how they used David Johnson and things like that in Arizona and they used him in some great ways,” White said on Tuesday’s Pewter Report Podcast. “I feel like I’m in a good situation – a great situation for me – I feel like God had a plan and this was awesome. This is right where I belong. It’s just fun.”

White’s Offensive Fit With Bucs

Bucs RB Rachaad White – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Based on the outlook of the Bucs offense, White might be most useful in the passing game. Does that mean we’ll see him split out wide on passing plays or even line up in the slot? It sounds like he’ll be moved around everywhere to show off his skill set.

“The offense – it’s amazing,” White said.  “I love the offense. It’s for sure different. They use the running back in a lot of different ways and yeah, being split out all the way outside wide and in the slot. They have you out the backfield a lot, even if you’re in bunch formations with one wide receiver and y’all [are] both on one side. It’s been pretty cool though, there’s been a lot of things that I like. I’ve been trying to gain guys’ trust and make a lot of plays.

“Even in the offseason, right now, just throwing with Blaine [Gabbert] and Kyle [Trask] and just being there. Just gaining a lot of dudes’ trust through the time of that [and show] the coaches as well that I can do that. I can be consistent at that or running this route the way it’s supposed to be ran. I love that type of stuff because it makes you different, I love to be a guy that’s different.”

More Than A Running Back

Because White can do so many things on the field, the comparisons extend to non-running backs. Recently, there’s been discussion of his abilities in comparison to those of wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who gets used in a variety of ways with the 49ers. White said Tuesday that he isn’t as concerned about the name of his position as he is about receiving another name – playmaker.

“I don’t know, I just consider myself a guy that’s like Deebo,” White said. “I respect that. I’m not a big comparison guy but for guys like Deebo, you can really boil it down to one word. He’s a playmaker. That’s what I was calling myself through this whole process. Like you said, he’s an athlete, a weapon. Those words right there, he’s a playmaker. That’s what I consider myself as, as a playmaker, an athlete. I try to have no holes in my game and there’s nothing I can’t do on the field. I would consider myself that, but it’s awesome to be able to do a lot of things and be put in a lot of situations in order to succeed and help the team win.”

You can watch the full episode of the Pewter Report Podcast where Scott Reynolds and J.C. Allen interview White right here.