Is Kevin White More Larry Fitzgerald or Cordarrelle Patterson?

West Virginia receiver Kevin White remains one of the more confounding prospects of the 2015 NFL draft, mostly due to the wide range of potential outcomes once he lands at the next level. 

A physical specimen with size and speed, White has an upside ceiling in the same stratosphere as Larry Fitzgerald. The third pick in the 2003 NFL draft, Fitzgerald hit the ground running in the NFL, using his imposing frame and natural receiving abilities to immediately become a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses. 

Yet White is also a junior college transfer, with only 22 career games at the top level and just one year of dominant production at West Virginia. He's still raw in terms of winning with route running and technique, which opens up the possibility that White could produce a Cordarrelle Patterson-like flop early on. While Patterson burst onto the scene as the game's most electric kick returner and gadget receiver, he has so far struggled mightily in terms of developing into a pure pass-catcher in the pros.

NFL teams—and especially those picking in the top half of the first round—will need to weigh the risk and reward accordingly. 

Most view White on the Fitzgerald side of the spectrum. 

"Kevin White has the highest ceiling of any wide receiver in the draft," analyst Mike Mayock of NFL Network said in March (via Bryan Fischer of NFL.com). Mayock ranked White as his No. 1 receiver in the class.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller did the same in his final receiver rankings. 

"White is the total package: upside and production on an NFL-ready frame," Miller wrote. 

As a senior, White caught 109 passes for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns. He started the season with seven straight 100-yard games, showing off his dominant abilities. He then doubled down on his final-year production in February when he made a big splash at the NFL Scouting Combine. 

Despite standing 6'3" and weighing 215 pounds, White blazed through the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds—the third-fastest time among receivers. He also posted 23 reps on the 225-pound bench press, which tied for the best number at the position. 

"He's not just a product of West Virginia's system -- he's talented," Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote. "White showed off 23 reps on the bench press and a blazing 4.35 40 at the combine, proving he has the top-end speed to go with the size and strength."

The triple threat of size, speed and strength is something Fitzgerald—and many other dominant NFL receivers—have made a career off at the next level. 

And most of the numbers suggest White's game will translate. 

According to Pro Football Focus, White caught 15 passes for 543 yards and seven touchdowns on throws traveling over 20 yards in the air last season. He finished fourth among draft-eligible receivers in deep catches and yards, and tied for second in scores. His speed and length allow him to both run by and jump over cornerbacks. Any offense based in vertical concepts would love to have a player like White, who can win in a variety of ways down the field. 

But he wasn't only a deep threat. Sam Monson of PFF noted at ESPN Insider that White forced 25 missed tackles in 2014, which ranked second in FBS. While he's not anything near Patterson in the open field, his size and speed make him hard to bring down for smaller players in the secondary. 

"He might not be the most elusive after-the-catch runner you will find, but has the lower leg drive and ball security skills to power through the initial tackle," NFL scout Dave-Te' Thomas said, via Bill Huber of Packer Report. 

Receivers capable of winning vertically and breaking tackles underneath can do plenty of damage at the NFL level. 

However, White isn't a flawless prospect. The unknowns make him somewhat polarizing. 

While the comparison is far from perfect, Patterson was also once a big, fast and raw receiver. 

In fact, the combine measurables are very similar for White and Patterson—another junior college transfer who played only one year at Tennessee:

	K. White	C. Patterson
Height	6'3"	6'2"
Weight	215 lbs.	216 lbs.
Hands	9 1/4"	9"
Arm Length	32 5/8"	31 3/4"
40 Yard Dash	4.35 seconds	4.42 seconds
Vertical Jump	36.5"	37.0"
Broad Jump	123.0"	128.0"

Patterson entered the NFL raw. He remains raw. White will need to do better with the rather large adjustment ahead of him. 

"He's a good kid, good worker and good leader," one scout told ESPN Insider. "But because he was a juco transfer and a nonqualifier out of high school, he's going to have to show that he has the ability to understand, repeat and make changes. I think he has that in him, but he's going to have to convince people in the league."

White played in a wide-open college offense that naturally created favorable matchups, and his route tree likely needs to become more advanced as he makes the transition to the next level. 

Another huge obstacle for all young receivers is physical play at the line of scrimmage, although the bar has been lowered in recent years due to rule changes at the NFL level. So much of what goes into a professional passing game is based upon timing, and a receiver that can't get moving at the snap can be effectively eliminated. 

Likely because of his dangerous size and speed, White didn't see much physicality at the line in college. But professional defensive backs will challenge him.

Frank Cooney of CBS Sports nicely summed up the hurdles White will likely face:

"

Now that we know he has real speed, White must learn how to vary it to help create separation while running routes more complicated than his good-bye move straight up the field. Scouts were disappointed when he opted out of the Senior Bowl because they wanted to see him challenged by top defensive backs. White did not encounter much press coverage in college and relied on his ability to out-jump defenders regardless of how close they were.

"

Digesting a playbook and learning ways of creating separation—both at the line and in the intermediate areas—can be learned. But for every receiver that does develop those skills at the NFL level, there's a handful like Patterson, who remains a nonfactor as a pass-catcher because he's been unable to master the little details of the position. 

Not all metrics love White, either. 

ESPN's "Playmaker Score," a statistical model that uses peak seasons and certain measurables to project receivers to the next level, ranked White as the eighth-best receiver prospect in the class. He was likely hurt by a limited sample size, given his 22 career games at the FBS level. 

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

And while White was productive as a senior, the numbers don't look as impressive when put into the proper context. 

Dana Holgorsen's West Virginia offense attempted 534 passes last season. It would be expected that a receiver with any kind of matchup ability could produce volume numbers in such a pass-heavy, space-dependent system. 

The model has also found 40 times to be a poor predictor of success for receivers at the NFL level. 

These blemishes are why some have deemed Alabama's Amari Cooper as the "safer" receiver prospect. White may have the higher ceiling, but Cooper has the higher floor, and that's comforting for some franchises picking high in the draft. 

Yet in a little over a week's time, one NFL team inside the first 10 or so picks will take White—in hopes that the eventual return on investment is more Fitzgerald than Patterson. 

White's dominant physical abilities are undeniable. In a perfect world, he would bring his natural gifts to the next level and become a matchup nightmare in the same mold as Fitzgerald. It's both a best-case scenario and a likely scenario, given just how rare he is as an athlete. 

But the West Virginia product is still a shade of green that is somewhat reminiscent of Patterson, who has failed to equate his measurables to NFL production. A big body and a fast 40 don't automatically create the next elite receiver. White needs development in the finer arts of receiving before he's capable of consistently dominating. 

The NFL draft is such a draw because of players like White. His projection has such a wide range, and there exists a fine line between becoming the next Larry Fitzgerald and fading into the black like Cordarrelle Patterson. Over time, White will determine which side of the line he belongs on. 

Zach Kruse covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. 

Follow @zachkruse2