Devin White, LB, LSU
Strengths:
Devin White is the complete package as an off-ball linebacker. The first thing you notice about White is his ability to cover sideline-to-sideline due to his excellent speed. He has great instincts and is very fast to read his keys to get in position to make plays. For a big and thick linebacker, White has showed off his surprising speed with a 40 time of 4.42 seconds.
In the ground game, White is a very good tackler who wraps up ball-carriers with force. He has the size and athleticism to take on blocks, hold his ground, shed the block, and make the tackle. White is a superb run defender both between the tackles and sideline-to-sideline.
In pass coverage, White is a skilled defender chiefly due to his speed and athleticism. He is very fast as a blitzer with excellent diagnosis skills. White excels at scanning the field and reading plays quickly. He has the speed to cover in space as well as run down the middle seam with tight ends or tail running backs. On dump-off passes to the flat, White explodes into the ball-carrier and is very good at making tackles in space.
Weaknesses:
White can be somewhat reckless at times with his assignments. He sometimes gets caught chasing the ball rather than reading the play. He also occasionally struggles shedding blocks when linemen reach him first.
Draft projection:
Top 10 pick
White is an athletic, speedy, and rangy off-ball linebacker that will thrive in today’s NFL. Defenses are asking off-ball linebackers to stuff the run, blitz, and cover well and White checks all those boxes. He’s been compared to Rowan Smith but with a higher ceiling and slightly more athletic. White is a natural leader that will instantly upgrade a defense. White looks like he will be a multiple time All-Pro and the face of a franchise’s defense for a decade.