Buccaneers Draft Countdown: Making the Case for Cornerback Kevin White

There are two Kevin Whites in this year’s draft. One is a promising wide receiver likely to go in the first 10 picks. The other is an undersized cornerback who all but shut down the former. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to seriously consider acquiring the latter.

Quality cornerbacks are premium commodities in the modern NFL. As offenses utilize more three- and four-wide receiver sets, defenses need cornerback depth as badly as they need two quality starters.

The nickel corner position directly benefits from a greater emphasis on addressing depth. Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith even goes so far as to consider it a starting role:

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The nickel CB is a specific position that will be coached separately by Larry Marmie. Coach Smith considers it a 12th starting spot.

— Scott Smith (@ScottSBucs) March 26, 2014"

The Bucs have a solid starting cornerback set in Alterraun Verner and Johnthan Banks. It’s the nickel position that is still up for grabs.

Though the Bucs signed former Cowboys CB Sterling Moore and tendered Leonard Johnson, neither is signed beyond the 2015 season. That leaves room for a player like TCU CB Kevin White to capture a vital spot on the Bucs defense.

At 5'9" and 183 pounds, White doesn't possess ideal size to cover big NFL receivers on the perimeter. However, what he lacks in size, he compensates with instincts and technique.

The Kevin Whites faced each other last November when West Virginia hosted TCU. West Virginia's Kevin White was putting together a strong resume to go early in the draft when he was matched up against a smaller, less athletic Kevin White.

It was the lesser known Kevin White that showed up to play. With some help from TCU's defensive line, White limited his offensive counterpart to just three receptions and 28 yards.

Courtesy of Draft Breakdown

The difference-maker was the TCU corner's technique. He took away deep passes by leveraging inside and containing White:

TCU White doesn't let West Virginia White push him around either. His physicality kept the receiver out of plays with great hand technique and tight coverage:

Courtesy of Draft Breakdown

It's clear White shut down White, possibly the best wide receiver in this year's draft. Why is he only a third- or fourth-round prospect?

Lack of athleticism and size are legitimate barriers to White's entry to the NFL. This was no more apparent than during his workout at the NFL combine.

White ran an unimpressive 4.63 second 40-yard dash. He made little improvement at his pro day where he clocked 4.62 and 4.66 40 times. After skipping the three-cone and short shuttle at the combine, White produced a decent 6.86 three-cone time but an abysmal 4.25 short shuttle.

The 40 time is a concern though not too major if White plays in the slot. However, his poor shuttle time indicates poor lateral quickness and explosion, key attributes of a successful nickel corner.

White's three-cone time suggests that his problem may simply be explosion rather than agility. Either way, it poses a serious challenge to his ability to play in the slot in the NFL.

Courtesy of Draft Breakdown

Without exceptional athleticism, White becomes vulnerable during lapses in concentration or judgment. In last year's game against Baylor, quarterback Bryce Petty and his receivers exploited White's size disadvantage and caught him twice for scoring passes:

Courtesy of Draft Breakdown

White couldn't force receivers out of their routes or stay tight enough on the receiver to prevent a clean catch. For White to succeed in the NFL, he has to be more disciplined and mentally sharper than everyone he covers.

White's skills and disadvantages should remind Bucs fans of another undersized but instinctive cornerback who overcame the odds on the way to a Hall of Fame-worthy career.

Longtime Bucs CB Ronde Barber was also once considered too small and not athletic enough to cut it in the NFL, but by playing smarter than the other guy, he became one of the all-time great nickel corners.

The similarities between White and Barber are uncanny. Both are the same size and with similar aggressiveness in coverage.

Courtesy of Draft Breakdown

Barber was known for his success in blitzing from the slot, becoming the first cornerback to ever accumulate 40 career interceptions and 20 career sacks. White could be on the same path as TCU called upon him to blitz from the nickel position as well:

Barber played his entire career with a chip on his shoulder after going in the third round in the 1997 draft and riding the bench most of his rookie season. White's poor combine performance might lead to a similar tumble down the draft board and doubts as to his viability in the NFL.

It would be premature to anoint White as the next Ronde Barber, but the parallels are there.

The Bucs already have the heirs apparent to Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks in Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David. Adding Kevin White may be a finishing touch to reviving the former glory of the Bucs championship defense.