Corey White, a.k.a. "Baby Face"
Strong Safety, Samford #3, 6'0", 206 lbs.
Scouting Report:
I love the fact that the Saints have been willing and able to give small school prospects an opportunity to shine in the NFL limelight, but it's a pain in the butt trying to find information to share with you about these prospects. Corey White is no exception to the rule either. He's been reported to stand anywhere between 5'11" to 6'1" tall, and his weight fluctuates between 204-215 lbs. Now the weight doesn't bother me especially when I consider the dieting roller coaster these players probably endure between training and down time, but how can you lose two inches in height? Well the answer is: I don't know! I actually just split the difference between the numbers on his height and used the most recent weight I could find. Once this is published the only thing that will matter is his on-the-field action.
Before I get too deep into this evaluation, I do realize he played at a small school so in regard to his profile he had limited experience against highly talented competition. I just want you guys to know I've taken this fact into account.
I originally nicknamed this guy "The Ego," but I didn't think the Freudian reference would be appreciated. Most rookies don't start trash talking before they have proven themselves on the field, but Mr. White is not your average rookie. He has already stirred up Drew Brees by talking about picking him off in practice. I commend him because he actually got a reaction out of Brees who has been off the grid so to say. So the one thing I can say about White is he's got confidence.
Other than that, there is very limited data on him in the way of real player profiles, even at Samford's website. When the Saints drafted him, his position was announced as safety, but he's mainly played as a CB in college with limited role positions as a safety. The Saints probably see White's athletic ability and raw talent as someone who could play multiple positions within the secondary.
Joe Vitt mentioned White in a recent press conference regarding the rookie minicamp that recently took place. He says the coaching staff is excited about seeing what he can do. I'm not sure what that means exactly, but it sounds positive. I tried to do some serious digging to find out why the Saints decided to go with White when there were several good DBs still on the board in the 5th round.
Unfortunately, I didn't find anything that made him stand out to me. Again, he's a natural athlete who shows to have good tackling capabilities and attacks the ball in the air. He has decent hands, and the only real complaint I found were related to his cover skills. Noone said "sloppy" per say but they might have meant it. He does have trouble transitioning into coverage especially with faster wide receivers. Although on a small school schedule I doubt he faced many barnburners in the way of receivers.
Personally, I don't think he has bad footwork because after watching some film on him I noticed him peeking into the backfield for the run. Several scouts even mentioned that he plays well against the run which is where the position change probably comes into play. Look at it like this, at the NFL level he may struggle in coverage situations but plays the run well? How many CBs are considered run stoppers? Something else I noticed is he gives a big cushion in passing situations. In some of the film I watched, White was almost parallel to the safety and no he wasn't playing as a safety at the time.
Now think about how we've used our safeties, especially Harper, in recent years. They're close to the line and might blitz or drop into coverage on a TE which is a strong point in White's profile. Whether Spagnuolo continues with a similar scheme or not, safeties mainly cover bigger receivers, TEs, fill gaps to stop the run, and play support roles in coverage schemes.
White's style of play is more conducive to the safety position than a cornerback. Several scouts point out that while he has good speed he doesn't transition well when covering receivers. Covering a TE or heavy receiver is quite different because they're usually slower and don't transition well into their route so White's speed can make up a missed step. Obviously, there are exceptions to this (Jimmy Graham), but in general I think most of us can agree.
White is a tenacious, physical player who does not shy away from contact. He is able to shed blocks when pursuing a ball carrier. He displays flashes of above average play recognition, and can put a hit on someone when he has the opportunity. He was a math major in college so he probably understands pursuit angles really well but that won't help if the ball carrier zigs when he's expecting them to zag.
I wouldn't consider him a ball hawk, but he does play the ball well in the air when the opportunity arises and has good leaping ability. Overall, I think this guy will work his way onto the roster via special teams and the secondary rotation. Spagnuola may even see fit to put him in as a nickel corner to cover slot receivers and TEs, and he may use him as a strong or free safety if the need arises.
I do not see him earning a starting role immediately, especially if Brees ends up embarassing him during preseason workouts. Even if Brees ends up targeting White, it will only make him better. According to almost every scouting report I read, White's work ethics and dedication to improvement were mentioned. I'd say he's a high motor guy who has been durable throughout his career. I even went back to some high school film on him and you can see that he's a natural born football player. In high school and college, he had a knack for being around the ball and his effort make him stand out on film because I never saw him give up on a play.
My biggest reservation with White is the lack of experience against truly gifted athletes such as the ones he will be facing in the NFL. As I mentioned, he stands out on film and many times he looks to be the better athlete on the field. He appears dominant but again he's only facing other small school prospects. I wish I could have found some film against a top end receiver but his competition on the film I watched would not be labeled as elite.
Luckily, a major component to playing defense is ATTITUDE. White clearly has that going for him. He's been a standout since high school, and he's probably been a trash talker since he was a toddler. In my search for answers, I ran across a man in a chat room who claims he helped scout White out of high school. He, of course, says he's worth the pick we used to get him and several of his former teammates echo this same sentiment. While they expect him to do big things at the next level, the NFL is not a popularity contest. All I can say is he's got the confidence to succeed and the Saints' coaches like what they've seen so far. Now he has the opportunity to show if he walks the walk!
"In PayLoo We Trust!"
College Career
I know this history is incomplete but I could not find a reliable source for the rest of Corey White's statistical background. All of the statistics I did find were either incomplete records or contradicted other sources. From what I can tell Mr. White produced 5 interceptions between the 2010 and 2011 seasons. I was unable to find a reliable source for tackles, sacks, pass breakups, etc. . . In short, these stats are more than likely inaccurate!
2009: Played in all 11 games . . . had 36 tackles, including 27 solo stops . . . had 2.5 tackles for a loss . . . also intercepted two passes and had three pass break-ups . . . had three tackles against Jacksonville . . . had six tackles at Appalachian State . . . had four tackles and an interception against Western Carolina . . . tallied five tackles, including one for a loss, at Furman . . . had five tackles and an interception against Georgia Southern.
2008: Saw action in all 11 games as a freshman . . . tallied 15 tackles, including 12 solo stops . . . had three pass break-ups . . . had four tackles against The Citadel . . . had four tackles, all solo, against Wofford.
High School: Named team MVP and first-team All-County . . . had 52 tackles, including 35 solo stops and three tackles for a loss as a senior . . . had one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, one interception, scored one touchdown and blocked one kick . . . returned seven kickoffs for an average of 22.7 yards per return . . . had 80 rushes for 683 yards and six touchdowns . . . caught 17 passes for 452 yards and six touchdowns.
Personal: Born May 9, 1990 . . . son of Corey and Mereca White and Linda Arnold . . . majoring in mathematics.
Combine Results
| 40 Yard Dash | 4.55 seconds |
| 20 Yard Shuttle | 4.22 seconds |
| 3 Cone Drill | 6.72 seconds |
| 225 lb Bench Press | 15 Reps |
| Vertical Jump | 37 1/2 inches |
| Broad Jump | 10' 6" |
*Invited to the NFL Combine as a CB
Pro Day Results
| 40 Yard Shuttle | 4.39 seconds |
| 20 Yard Shuttle | 2.39 seconds |
| 10 Yard Shuttle | 1.60 seconds |
| 20 Yard Shuttle | 4.20 seconds |
| 3 Cone Drill | DNP |
| 225 lb Bench Press | DNP |
| Verical Jump | 38 1/2 inches |
| Broad Jump | 10' 2" |
*DNP = Did Not Participate
Career Stats*
|
Year |
Games |
Int |
Yards |
TDs |
Tackles |
|
2008 |
11 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
15 |
|
2009 |
10 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
36 |
|
2010 |
11 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
31* |
|
2011 |
5* |
4 |
69 |
1 |
58* |
Career Total |
37 |
7 |
70 |
1 |
140 |
* The stats presented here are based off of several sources and may be inaccurate. I tried to verify as many as I could, but I could not find sufficient evidence to claim 100% accuracy.