Matt Waldman’s RSP shares its sample evaluation of UDFA receiver Reggie White, Jr., a player who could compete for a roster spot and playing time this year in New York. 

With the Giants’ wide receiver depth chart suffering injuries to Sterling Shepard and Corey Coleman on consecutive days, many analysts and writers will mention Auburn rookie Darius Slayton as a darkhorse for immediate playing time. Let’s share the scouting report of a rookie who is flying under the radar but also routinely showing up in practice reports as the recipient of successful targets in the vertical game: Reggie White, Jr.

Reggie White, Jr. Monmouth (6-3, 209)

Depth of Talent Score: 80.75 = Rotational Starter: Executes at a starter level in a role, playing to his strengths.

Friend of the RSP, Jeff Lloyd of the Browns Wire Podcast, mentioned White to me early in the fall as a sleeper. Lloyd played receiver at Monmouth. After watching White, I added him to the list of players to keep quiet about. He was a top-25 talent on the RSP’s receiver board before his Pro Day.

Then he ran a 4.45-second, 40-Yard Dash; a 4.07- second, 20 Shuttle; a 6.77-second, 3-Cone; and jumped 37.5-inches in the Vertical. As mentioned in the Projects Section of this chapter, a veteran scout said White was the best prospect he’s ever seen at Monmouth—including Miles Austin.

One of the reasons I kept quiet about White is that he plays a lot like another fave late-round prospect— Marvin Jones. When comparing the two, they have similar builds and metrics in the areas mentioned above. Can White emerge like Jones? The short answer is yes. Let’s explore why.

White has some promising skills with releases. He has a rocker step with a hard chop. He also uses two-step release and he’ll quickly stack defenders when he earns separation. With his quickness, he separates easily at this level but it’s also more than enough to win against top cornerbacks on Sundays. White will have to vary his moves so they aren’t predictable. He has a rip move and dips his shoulder well but doesn’t use either nearly as often as the rocker and chop.

White also must improve his footwork. He doesn’t stagger his steps well enough with his foot-fire releases and it makes him prone to hard strikes that can knock him off-balance before he ever gets off the line.

He uses his arms and hands well to work over the reach of opponents on out-breaking route and he knows how to get into the defender’s blindspot and cross him up during the stem. Once he does, he can accelerate past him on deep routes. When working up the sideline, White stacks effectively without getting pinned to the boundary.

White releases upfield with intensity when he drops his pads. He’ll set up breaks with head turns, pace variation, and sticks.

His stick is a good precursor to a competent turn on the speed out. His route depth is good, but he could get more sharpness in the turn for a flatter effect.

If I felt confident about White’s route running making an immediate transition to Sundays without a lot of little refinements, he would have been No.11 or No.12 on the board. However, there’s too much evidence that he’ll need some acclimation time.

He runs a lot of fades, slants, screens, stop routes, and hitches. His work over the middle is limited. He must hold the vertical line better on sideline routes so he doesn’t drift to the boundary on his own.

He’s slower out of breaks than he should be. He displays some quickness in and out of breaks, but his bend could be deeper. Overall he can be more dynamic once he refines his techniques to match his athletic abilities.

White’s bend, burst, and overall tempo is inconsistent as a route runner. When his tempo is high, he looks like he runs starter-caliber routes.

He needs more violence at the top of his stems and he takes too many steps into breaks. However, he can tell a story with his routes. With more attention, he should become a fine route runner.

White excels as an aerial threat. He catches the ball with his hands and makes impressive extensions to targets. He has a super-wide catch radius and he can take contact. He wins jump balls against tight coverage and can do so over the back of his opponent.

White also tracks the ball over his shoulder or working across the field. He’s a graceful and high leaper who times his jumps perfectly.

White leaves his feet unnecessarily on the occasional route breaking towards the boundary. He also has lapses with attack and lets the ball into his beltline or chest. He’ll make the catch with these targets but has to fight the ball.

Although he excels with active hands position, there are routes where he incorrectly chose a passive position. He wins these targets at Monmouth, but it doesn’t project to success in the NFL.

As with several of the top prospects with strong hands, White will take hits to his side or chest while securing the football. Unlike Hakeem Butler, White has a film resume of extreme extensions for the ball that he won.

With the ball in his hands, White pulls through reaches. He keeps his feet moving to extend his frame through wraps for extra yards.

He has a straight-arm and he’s also strong enough to bounce off hits from defensive backs. If you didn’t know his dimensions, he looks like N’Keal Harry when working against many of his opponents.

Gauging his power requires some perspective. He’ll likely pull through reaches, but he won’t be pushing piles at the rate he did at Monmouth.

He has sharp, twitchy parallel cuts and he can layer his moves in sequence to find space. He also has quick hip flips to pivot to open space.

White switches the ball to the appropriate arm, but his carriage can get too loose in the open field. There wasn’t a lot to see with White’s blocking. He extends his arms, moves his legs, and delivers a hard push when he can lock on. Most of his work came as a stalk blocker.

He has a good shot of earning a third-day pick. If the team that selects him is the organization that sent its veteran scout to the Pro Day, it will fit a need and his style of play will be familiar to the organization—even if it never had Marvin Jones on its roster.

Reggie White, Jr. Highlights

Pre-NFL Draft Fantasy Advice: White is a good end-of-bench stash with high upside. Consider him in the fourth or fifth round.

For the most in-depth analysis of offensive skill players available (QB, RB, WR, and TE), get the 2019  Rookie Scouting Portfolio. If you’re a fantasy owner the Post-Draft Add-on comes with the 2012 – 2018 RSPs at no additional charge.

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