2015 NFL Draft: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia/Chicago Bears
This is undoubtedly the worst selection out of the 7 previous No. 7 overall picks.
Growing up as a West Virginia fan, I loved watching Kevin White dominate the College game, and after a dominant senior season in which he caught 109 passes for 1,447 yards and 10 TD’s, I thought it was a sure shot that Kevin White would be a star in the NFL.
Needless to say, that didn’t happen, as White has never played more than 10 games in an NFL season.
While obviously White not working out is not entirely his fault, as he has had one of the most injury-riddled careers I have ever seen, that does not make this pick any better.
The injuries started for White after he suffered a fracture in his Tibia that would cause him to miss his entire rookie season in 2015. Then, after a solid start to his sophomore season in which he caught 19 passes for 187 yards in his first 4 games, Kevin White would miss the rest of the season due to another fracture in his Tibia.
After his Sophomore season, it seemed as if White would finally be ready for the spotlight, however, during the first game of the 2017 season, White would go down with a fractured shoulder blade that would cause him to miss the rest of the season.
Entering the 2018 season, White would finally play the most games he’d ever play in a season at 9, however, due to newcomers Taylor Gabriel and Allen Robinson, Kevin White would barely see the field, only playing in 28% of the offensive snaps for the Bears that season.
After the 2018 season, the Bears decided not to re-sign White and allowed him to walk in free agency where he would be picked up and subsequently cut by the Arizona Cardinals and would not play for any team for the remainder of the season.
Then, during the 2020 off-season, White would sign a practice squad deal with the 49ers where he would play in 3 games but was never targeted.
Since then, White spent some time with the Saints this season where he caught his first pass in nearly 3 seasons, however, the Saints decided to release White on November 30th, marking what is likely the end of White’s career.
The story of Kevin Whites NFL career is a very sad one, it is always painful to see such a talented player suffer so many injuries, hopefully, another team gives him a chance next season.