Mike White, Western Kentucky: 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report
By Jon Dove
Western Kentucky’s Mike White is an underrated quarterback prospect who has a chance to hear his name called early in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Mike White features the size, arm strength and poise needed to succeed in the NFL. He plays the game with patience and doesn’t hesitate to take shots down field. White isn’t a household name, but could easily be an early day-two pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The first thing that jumps out when watching White is his pocket presence. He maintains a balanced stance with his shoulders squared towards his target. White routinely plants his back foot and drives off that foot to generate zip on his throws.
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He keeps his eyes down field in the face of pressure showing the ability to step up in the pocket. White has solid athleticism, but mainly uses it to shuffle around pressure rather than vacating the pocket.
His throwing motion is smooth, clean and over the top. He keeps the ball above his breast plate which helps him avoid wasted motions. White delivers the ball with good zip to all parts of the field including sideline throws.
He features a beautiful deep ball where he gets the proper loft and allows his target to run underneath the throw. White shows solid accuracy and overall ball placement. Western Kentucky’s offense features a lot of crossing routes that count on the receiver picking up yards after the catch.
The offense mainly works out of the shotgun which means that White will need to work on taking snaps from under center.
White typically makes solid decisions, but there are times where he will take risks in the middle of the field. He needs to be careful when trying to squeeze the ball into double coverage. White also needs to do a better job masking his intentions.
He tends to lock onto his No. 1 target which gives the defensive back time to break on the ball. White has gotten away with this in college but won’t at the next level.
Overall, White is a strong prospect who checks all the boxes for an NFL starter. He will be someone who sees his stock rise as the draft process develops.