Kevin White (WR) & La’el Collins (G/T) continue to impress

LSU’s La’el Collins — one of the top 2015 prospects

I’ve included tape below of Kevin White’s (WR, West Virginia) latest performance against Baylor and La’el Collins (T/G, LSU) versus a rampant Auburn. These two players have done as much as anyone to boost their stock this year.

White is the leading receiver in college football with 1020 yards and seven touchdowns already. It’ll be a serious miscarriage of justice if Amari Cooper wins the Biletnikoff on reputation alone. Cooper’s even being touted as a Heisman candidate. He’s a technically gifted player, but White’s performing at an even higher level. As you can see below, Baylor had no answer for him. He had eight catches for 132 yards and two scores — but also drew multiple P.I. flags. They couldn’t cover him.

The way he’s playing right now — he deserves to be in the first round conversation. It’s not just the production either — he has good size. He’s high pointing the ball superbly. He’s edgy and competitive. And look at his run blocking — he’s willing to mix it up. He’s not afraid to get involved in the run game.

Ahead of his senior year he’d been accused of lacking confidence and failing to live up to his potential. No such issues this season. He’s the heart and soul of the West Virginia offense. He’s not a brilliant talker off the field, but on it he’s all action. He has the kind of ‘pissed off’ attitude you need to see in a receiver.

The more I watch of Collins, the more convinced I am his future is at guard. He can act as a cover tackle if required — but he’s strong at the point, he’s a road-grader in the run game who controls linemen and knows how to turn a DL to open up lanes. His kick slide isn’t that great and he could struggle against the speed rush. Eliminate the weakness by moving him inside and dominating in the run game. That’s not to say he’s done a poor job at tackle. Generally he looks a lot more comfortable this year. But he could be a regular Pro Bowler at guard.

He’s got a massive frame well suited to the interior (6-4, 324lbs) but holds the weight well. He’s strong and thick in the lower body but has a nice punch and jolt with his hands. See if you can find the play where he dumps a DE on his backside in the video below. Collins can drive people off the point and get to the second level. He has a mean streak but never loses control. Any team that values run blocking as a priority has to be interested in this guy.

Collins is the captain of the offensive line at LSU. He’s a big time character guy — very mature in the way he speaks, calm and authoritative. Hey — he could go in the top ten if teams believe in him at tackle. He’s having a much better year than Cedric Ogbuehi at Texas A&M and Cameron Erving at Florida State. Either way, and it’s still early, I’m not convinced he’ll get out of the top 15 — even if he’s taken as a guard. Ignore positional value and the top three players eligible for 2015 could be Marcus Mariota, Todd Gurley and La’el Collins.

11 Comments

  1. Cameron

    I watched a couple of videos of Kevin White over at DB last night. After a couple of snaps I said to myself, ‘that’s Larry Fitzgerald’, and everything else I saw of him pointed to that comparison. He’s big, with a big catch radius, but also has good speed and agility for his size. He’s a good route runner, and on a couple of occasions I witnessed him gain easy separation on go routes, which was especially impressive given his size and frame. As you pointed out, Rob, he is a willing and able blocker.

    I like Kevin White better than everyone of last years WR crop with the exception of Sammy Watkins.

    • Chris A.

      I think he may have slightly better burst/ acceleration than Fitz. Regardless, I highly doubt this guy falls to the ‘Hawks, assuming we right the ship of course.

  2. JaviOsullivan

    Rob,

    What do you think about that Seattle should choose a LT (2 rd?) to replace Okung in 2016 and good LG (4 rd?) to replace Carpenter in 2015 in draft 2015?

    • Rob Staton

      Hard to find starting LT’s beyond the top of round one. I suspect they will let Okung’s contract play out (it’s fairly cheap next year) and assess the situation down the line. In the meantime they can continue working on Alvin Bailey. Seriously — they’re just as well working on Bailey as hoping to plug in a second round first or second year player. As for a good left guard — hard to say at this stage. I think the most important thing for Seattle in 2015 is to make sure they start the season with better depth and talent on the defensive line and find a big target for Russell Wilson. They’ve shown they can win with an o-line worse than the one they’re fielding this year.

  3. Hay stacker509

    Spencer drango out of Baylor or La’raven Clark out of Texas tech are my hopefuls so far this season

  4. Michael (CLT)

    I am curious of your thoughts on Ajayi. His feet, running style, and demeanor remind me of Marshawn.

    • Rob Staton

      I think he’s a very average player to be honest Michael. He loves a spin move but I don’t see any great speed, ability to break tackles or cut back style. He just looks like a bog standard back who will get drafted somewhere in the mid to late rounds.

      • Michael (CLT)

        Bummer. Josh Robinson really showed up today for MSU. Thoughts?

        • Rob Staton

          Love him. Just written a new blog post with some notes/thoughts on Robinson.

  5. chris

    not only does kevin white have great hands, but he seems to be an excellent blocker as well.

  6. Donald

    Kevin White would be a great pick for the Hawks in the first round, but I was also impressed with Xavian Howard who had the difficult task of covering him. Though he had a few flags thrown against him, he still was running stride for stride with White. The use of hands can be coached, but he is athletic. The Hawks could pick him up in the later rounds.

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