Jordan White: The Best NFL Draft Prospect You’ve Never Heard Of (Video)

Western Michigan University is the school that boasts NFL alumni such as Greg Jennings, Jason Babin, and Louis Delmas.  White will be looking to follow suit and take his game to the next level.  Take a look at the player who could be the biggest sleeper in the 2012 NFL Draft

Notable Accomplishments: 2011 2^nd Team All-American – set MAC records for season and career receiving yardage – broke all of Greg Jennings’ WMU career, season, and game receiving records – 7/12 games with 10+ REC – 9/12 games with 100+ YDS – went for 200+ YDS in a game twice – averaged 137.8 YDS/Game – leads NCAA in REC and REC YDS – second in NCAA in REC TDs.

Statistics:

YEAR	TEAM	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
2011	WMU	140	1911	14.0	61	17
2010	WMU	94	1378	14.7	74	10
2009	WMU	53	684	12.9	54	4

40 Yard Dash Time: 4.43 seconds (according to NFLdraftscout.com)

Pro potential: NFLdraftscout.com has White listed as the #24 best WR prospect out of 334 players, which is ridiculous.  White is a dominant receiver at the point of contact with the ball in the air.  He plays a similar style to Wes Welker and Lance Moore, the under-sized WR who roams the slot, can find a way to beat you deep at any moment and catches everything thrown his way.  Playing on a mediocre MAC team did not offer White a chance to showcase his talent nationally until the Little Caesar’s Bowl, but be rest assured that he has been dominating the entire season.

Game to Watch: In the November 8^th, 2011 66-63 shootout against Toledo, White completely out-classed Toledo’s top WR Eric Page (ranked #9 WR prospect by NFLdraftscout.com).  Page’s stat line:  10 REC-68 YDS-6.8 AVE-0 TDs.  White’s stat line: 16 REC-238 TDS-14.9 AVE-3 TDs.

Here is White’s scouting report from CBSsports.com:

“Strengths: Excellent athleticism. A long strider but still explodes off the line of scrimmage. A natural pass catcher with strong hands who consistently sees the ball into his hands. Tucks the ball away quickly after the catch to brace for big hits. Has quick feet and can sink his hips to throttle down quickly. Very effective running screens. Turns short receptions into big plays by climbing into a second gear. Settles well in space and finds open pockets in the defense. Accelerates quickly after the catch and is a powerful runner who often breaks away from the first defender. Displays good vision as a runner. Uses a stiff arm, as well as his speed, to separate from defenders. Shows good vision and acceleration as a return man. Usually lines up as a slot receiver, but could handle an outside position.

Weaknesses: Not very aggressive in beating the jam at the line and prefers to run around defenders. Needs to improve his route-running; tends to round off routes. Gets lazy on deep comebacks — will turn around early and back his way into the route. Short-arms the ball at times and must get stronger to make catches in traffic. Runs out of control at times and can lose his balance. Doesn’t show great effort as a blocker, failing to break down and struggles to wall off aggressive defenders in space.”

Prediction:  White is certainly on every NFL scout’s radar, and after the season-long display of consistent performance will certainly give him an invite to the scouting combine.  If White can perform well in position drills and run in the 4.4’s then he should be rated as a solid 3^rd round prospect, behind only Justin Blackmon, Michael Floyd, Alshon Jeffery, Kendall Wright, Nick Toon, Jarius Wright, and Ryan Broyles.  White’s production and consistency should be seen right away from whatever NFL team drafts him, and will be a reliable receiving option as soon as he hits the field.  Given the right opportunity, White has the chance to be the biggest sleeper in the 2012 draft.