Jets' Gritty 7th-Round WR Jordan White Gets Healthy Just in Time for Slot Battle

While Rex Ryan was raving about first-round pick Quinton Coples, second-round pick Stephen Hill and third-round pick Demario Davis, the Jets' seventh-round pick, wide receiver Jordan White, was sidelined by a broken bone in his foot.

Now, he's returning to the field just as an opportunity at his position is presenting itself.

White has never been one to let injuries stand in the way of his success. After chalking up 2006 and 2008 to knee injuries, White put up astronomical numbers (234 catches, 3,289 yards and 27 TDs) in his last two years at Western Michigan. He did this despite a lack of prototypical size, speed or quickness.

What White does bring to the table is toughness over the middle, good hands and an undeniable desire to make the play. 

Randy Lange of the Jets official website reports that White was activated from the camp PUP list today, and he should be able to "let things fly" in full pads by the end of the week. White has impeccable timing because Rex Ryan recently revealed that he was disappointed with second-year wide receiver Jeremy Kerley, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.

Mehta also reported that wide receiver coach Sanjay Lal confirmed that the slot wide receiver is open, and he specifically called out White's instincts, saying if White "comes back strong, he could be an inside player". 

Former NFL scout and current draft expert Russ Lande had this to say about White vs. Kerley on Twitter today:

"

@sigmundbloom @kmart_li - If WR J. White is healthy he is far better than Kerley & will catch many more passes in 2012 than people expect.

— Russell Lande (@RUSSLANDE) July 30, 2012"

Maybe one of these years, people will start to expect success from Jordan White. Until then, he'll be happy to exceed all but the most optimistic predictions for his performance.