White Worth a Second Round Pick
When you think of your typical NFL quarterback, you think of players like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Kurt Warner and others with cannon like precision in their arms. West Virginiaโs Patrick White is anything, but your typical NFL prototype quarterback, yet he may be one of the best to come out of the 2009 NFL Draft.
White, a tremendous athlete has looked like anything, but a future NFL quarterback and yet he has managed to turn some heads early in the year.
Perhaps when the nation was watching the most, the 6โ1โ, 192-pound White performed at his best. White threw for a career high 332 yards, 3 touchdowns while completing 26 of his 32 passes. Along with showing of his arm, White did what he did best in college and rushed for 55 yards on 21 carries.
White, arguably college footballโs most prolific rushing quarterback finished his Mountaineer career with 4,480 rushing yards, and 47 rushing touchdowns. While White was known for his outstanding rushing, his outstanding arm is starting to standout.
White while at West Virginia had a touchdown to interception ratio of 56/23. During the North vs. South All-Star game Whiteโs arm helped lead the South to 35-18 victory passing for 95 yards and a touchdown along with 31 rushing yards on three carries.
Continuing his recent success, I would say White improved his NFL Draft Stock at the NFLโs Scouting Combine. White was not only the fastest quarterback at the NFL combine, but he showed a much more impressive arm than did highly touted quarterbacks Mark Sanchez and John Parker Wilson.ย
West Virginiaโs spread option offense may have hurt Whiteโs draft status, but should NFL teamโs continue their Wildcat offense fad then perhaps White has a strong chance as an NFL quarterback rather than a wide receiver as suggested by many NFL experts.
At this point, White in my mind has the potential talent to be taken early on in the second round. Look for teams on draft day such as Chicago, New York, Kansas City and others to take White as a projected loaded with a lot of potential.
