It seems the recent first-round pick of the Chicago Bears, wide receiver Kevin White, is making quite the impression on NFL media members already.
Dan Pompeii of Bleacher Report and WSCR-AM sent out a series of tweets on Monday afternoon elucidating his belief that White, though he's done nothing other than get fitted for a helmet and uniform and take place in shorts and shells practices during rookie minicamp, already looks the part of an elite NFL wide receiver.
"Kevin White had a dominant rookie camp. He had a lot of balls thrown his way, and he caught many, some in impressive fashion," Pompeii tweeted, before noting that while White is physically imposing, his movement skills are those of a much smaller man.
"Kevin White easily is the most impressive rookie wide receiver I've ever seen walk through the doors at Halas Hall," Pompeii said.
That's high praise - and probably pretty hyperbolic - from a guy like Pompeii who has covered the NFL for several decades, especially when you consider the numbers put up by the player White will ostensibly replace - Brandon Marshall - and the veteran receiver, Alshon Jeffery, White is now likely to line up across from.
(Interestingly, Chicago, for being such a storied franchise, has seen little in the way of major impact from receivers since their inaugural season in 1922. Their history is littered with high volume reception running backs like Walter Payton - who is first in franchise history in receptions - and Matt Forte, along with tight ends like Mike Ditka and Harlon Hill, but few receivers have really left a lasting mark on the Bears. In fact, Johnny Morris, whose Bears career ended in 1967, is first on the franchise's all-time receiving yardage list with just over 5,000-yards.)
Marshall and Jeffery, though both bigger bodied wideouts and thus, seemingly similar to White, don't boast the same type of agility and change of direction as the former Mountaineer, though.
While Jeffery has elite hands and the ability to come down with contested catches, he's not likely to run away from any corners or blow the tops off of any defenses.
White, on the other hand, seems to have a skill set that will allow him to be both physically dominant against smaller corners and athletically dominant against slower or more limited defensive backs.
White was a top-ten draft pick for a reason, of course, but what will ultimately determine the success of his NFL career is his approach to the game, the coaching he receives from the Bears staff and the ability of Jay Cutler - or whoever replaces Cutler in a season's time - to get the ball to White in space and let him make a play.
