New York Giants Draft: a look back at the 5 previous No. 5 NFL Draft picks

2019 NFL Draft: Devin White, LB, LSU/Tampa Bay Buccaneers

With the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Buccaneers decided to go defense in the first round for the second year in a row after selecting Vita Vea with the 12th overall pick the year prior.

Devin White has had a very up and down career so far, as he tends to struggle in the regular season but plays tremendously in the playoffs.

In a similar fashion to that of New York Giants linebacker Tae Crowder, Devin White puts up tremendous tackle numbers, gaining 359 combined tackles throughout his first 3 years in the NFL, however where the similarities to Crowder kick in when you begin to talk about quite literally anything else.

White was likely selected so high in the 2019 NFL Draft due to his elite speed, running an insane 4.37 40 yard dash at the NFL Combine, however, he fails to use this speed to his advantage, struggling heavily in coverage and failing to make the right read in the run game.

These struggles are what caused Devin White to finish the season with a PFF grade of 35.0, while yes, PFF is not everything, it does, however, give us a better insight into White’s struggles in coverage and run reads.

However, as previously mentioned, White has a tendency to rise to the occasion during the playoffs, such as during the 2020 playoffs, when facing the New Orleans Saints, Devin White had one of the best games of his career, tallying 11 combined tackles and 1 interception, helping the Buccaneers push closer to the Super Bowl.

White certainly has all the tools and traits to be an elite linebacker in this league, however, he has yet to put all of these tools together consistently to prove he was worthy of being picked so high.