Cardinals WR Kevin White ready to prove he belongs, not a bust
May 29, 2019, 3:14 PM | Updated: 8:04 pm
(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Kevin White can’t wait to finally shred any labels cast upon him that start with a “b” and end with “ust.”
You can tell that by the way White talks, but it’s more about how little he’s willing to say.
White was an absolute monster in college at West Virginia, catching 109 balls for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior. Even more, he ran a 4.35 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds.
Expectations were high for White as the seventh overall selection for the Chicago Bears in the 2015 NFL Draft, but injuries have derailed any chance he’s had at meeting them. White has played in 14 total games over four seasons.
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The Cardinals have provided White that opportunity to have a revival, or really more of a starting-off-point, on his pro football career. He’s got a head coach in Kliff Kingsbury who is well-aware of his past success at the college level and a wide receiver room full of open competition beyond Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk.
When joining Bickley & Marotta on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station on Wednesday, White a couple of times referenced a desire to show he’s “that guy.” AKA, White wants to show all his doubters he’s a more-than-capable football player.
“I want it real bad and I’m gonna grind and do what I have to do to prove that I’m that guy,” he said.
“I would play this game for free just to show that I’m that guy.”
Kingsbury spoke on what he’s seen from White.
“Been really pleased with his work ethic,” he said on May 20. “I know people who coached him in college — very close with those guys — and they speak the world of him and that’s what we’ve seen. Hard working, focused, wants to be great, has a lot to prove, obviously, and has a great skill set. That big and that fast, so we’re excited to see what he can be out here.”
Kingsbury’s offense will provide that opportunity for White. In what is expected to use three-to-four receivers at almost all times and options to spread the field, White’s speed and size could certainly contribute.
“He’s seen it when I was in college,” White said of Kingsbury. “I think it [will] be a good fit.
“I like that he has that confidence and is outspoken about that. I’m like that about myself privately.”
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