It’s now or never for Bears WR Kevin White
Heading into the 2015 NFL Draft, there were two top-tier wide receivers: Amari Cooper and Kevin White. Cooper was the polished route runner who was considering the safer pick, while White was the raw athlete with sky-high potential. Fast forward two years, and Cooper is one of the best wideouts in the NFL today. The same cannot be said for White, however.
The Chicago Bears selected him with the No. 7 overall pick that year. He sat out his entire rookie season with a shin injury. Despite this, fans weren’t all that worried. The Bears would essentially have two first-round rookies on their roster in 2016. White started catching fire on Weeks 3 and 4: he had 12 receptions and 117 yards during that span. Just as fans started getting optimistic about him again, he fractured his fibula. He missed the rest of the 2016 season.
2017 will mark the third year that White has been in the NFL, despite only playing four games. The Bears appear to be losing patience in his lack of preduction, too. They added wide receivers Kendall Wright and Markus Wheaton in free agency, and are likely to draft another wide receiver this year.
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In spite of these additions, White will likely enter the regular season as the team’s No. 2 wide receiver. With the departure of Alshon Jeffery, the pressure will be on him and Cameron Meredith to provide dangerous weapons for Mike Glennon this year. If one of them fails, then you can probably expect the Bears to add a wide receiver early in next year’s draft.
As of now, White only has 19 career receptions and 187 yards, along with no touchdowns. He has also yet to play in a season which he hasn’t suffered a season-ending injury. He has yet to prove himself to Bears brass that he can be a reliable starter in the NFL.
White still has a lot of potential to tap into. If he can return to his level of play at West Virginia, then he can develop into a star. With two season-ending leg injuries in a row, it will be an uphill battle for him to reach his ceiling. However, if there’s any time for him to do that, it’s now.
With Jeffery gone and Meredith still a mystery, White can become the Bears’ No. 1 receiver by having a productive and healthy season.
Time is running out for him to prove that he was worthy of being the No. 7 pick. 2017 will truly be a make-or-break season for Kevin White.
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