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Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
To give young quarterback Teddy Bridgewater a boost of confidence and provide a better option than lack luster Cordell Patterson and Greg Jennings, the Vikings select Kevin White. There are many needs for the upcoming 2015 the Vikings season, a corner back to defend the pass against Aaron Rogers and Matt Stafford, is certainly a significant need however, the Vikings need to give Teddy Bridgewater armament to put up points and provide the offense with some reassurance.
A case could also be made to draft a running back to replace Adrian Peterson who has expressed an interest in leaving the Vikings. Nevertheless, Minnesota announced it had no intentions to deal Peterson who has been away from the company of his teammates for many months. Peterson's current lack of camaraderie and duty will likely be reignited once he is put back into the locker room. With Peterson unlikely to leave, Teddy Bridgewater up and coming, and White as a new receiving force, this could make for an explosive offense in 2015.
An analysis of White:
Overview: In his senior season with West Virginia, White had 109 receptions, 1,447 receiving yards and was a finalist for the Biletnikoff award. He opened the season against Alabama with 143 yards, caught for 216 yards against Maryland during week two and caught for 173 yards against Oklahoma in week four. His 2014 season began with seven consecutive 100 yard+ games, and against Texas later on during the season, he caught 16 passes, both school records. These stats are just a few of his highlights from the 2014 college football season.
Strengths: White is 6-3 and has the perfect frame for NFL receivers. At the combine he ran a 4.35 40-yard dash and put up 23 reps on the bench press. Using his strength after the catch he runs with power and works to gain extra yards breaking tackles. With his speed White is effective in getting downfield field in a hurry for the long ball and beating the defender on press coverage.
Weaknesses: White is more than willing to block but he lacks technique and must put more effort into avoiding holding penalties. He also lacks suddenness in space to consistently make defenders miss. It has yet to be determined how his experience at West Virginia will be translated into an effective NFL receiver.
While White is not Amari Cooper, he is the #2 rated receiver in the draft and a highly rated overall prospect by many analysts. Last year Gregg Jennings had the most receiving yards for the Vikings with 742. Kevin White had that many yards in his first seven games as a Mountaineer, and if his college experience and NFL combine are any indication of his ability to put up numbers in the NFL, he will be an outstanding addition to the Vikings offense.
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Thanks to all the CSC members who participated in this year's community mock draft. Without your help, none of this would be possible.
Below are the complete results from our community mock draft.
Catch up with all of the mock draft selections in our 2015 CSC Community Mock Draft Hub.
Pick | Team | Selection | Team Representative | Approval Rating |
1 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
QB Jameis Winston - Florida State |
Hans Petersen | 82% |
2 | Tennessee Titans | DE Leonard Williams - USC | Tee Word | 85% |
3 | Jacksonville Jaguars | DE Dante Fowler - Florida | Khannar | 80% |
4 | Oakland Raiders | WR Amari Cooper - Alabama | arcuate | 73% |
5 | Washington Redskins | DE Randy Gregory - Nebraska | Lostastic | 29% |
6 | NY Jets | OLB Vic Beasley - Clemson | BlackandGold4ever | 52% |
7 | Chicago Bears | LB Shane Ray - Missouri | saintmanumit | |
8 | Atlanta Falcons | DE Bud Dupree - Kentucky | Dave Choate | |
9 | NY Giants | NT Danny Shelton - Washington | GoFastTurnLeftMaybeRight | |
10 | St. Louis Rams | Kevin Sean Held | ||
11 | Minnesota Vikings | gulf shores | ||
12 | Cleveland Browns | ryan_la_sports07 | ||
13 | New Orleans Saints | Dave Cariello | ||
14 | Miami Dolphins | Ralph Malbrough | ||
15 | San Francisco 49ers | The Irish Assassin | ||
16 | Houston Texans | quickdrawdoc | ||
17 | San Diego Chargers | LeedsSaint | ||
18 | Kansas City Chiefs | jmcmillan_93 | ||
19 | Cleveland Browns | ryan_la_sports07 | ||
20 | Philadelphia Eagles | Matt Mosley | ||
21 | Cincinnati Bengals | coldpizza | ||
22 | Pittsburgh Steelers | whodatgermany | ||
23 | Detroit Lions | Khannar | ||
24 | Arizona Cardinals | saintmanumit | ||
25 | Carolina Panthers | Jake White | ||
26 | Baltimore Ravens | quickdrawdoc | ||
27 | Dallas Cowboys | arcuate | ||
28 | Denver Broncos | Ryne Hancock | ||
29 | Indianapolis Colts | Alex Lyles | ||
30 | Green Bay Packers | Matt Mosley | ||
31 | New Orleans Saints | Dave Cariello | ||
32 | New England Patriots | Whit Prottsman |