Photo - WKU Athletics
As former WKU quarterback Mike White continues his week of practice at the 2018 Reese’s Senior Bowl, one of the best opportunities comes off the field: the chance to be seen by scouts, general managers, and coaches from across the National Football League.
“For him, a lot of (the positive) is the exposure, for scouts and coaches to be able to see him in person,” said ProFootballFocus.com’s analyst Zac Robinson, a former Senior Bowl quarterback himself. “They can see how the ball comes out of his hand in person and get to know the kind of guy he is and those types of things. He’s had a successful career, so it’s about scouts seeing the production on the field and matching it up with their eyes and getting to know him on a personal level.”
Robinson, who now develops quarterbacks including current Cleveland Browns quarterback DeShone Kizer, a disciple of WKU head coach Mike Sanford, said that White is a “great in-between the numbers, down-field thrower. He’s a great down-the-field thrower. He’s always graded well for us on deep throws and 20-plus yard throws.”
White drew considerable accolades from the website during his two years on The Hill as he racked up nearly over 8,500 passing yards to become one of only two quarterbacks in program history to have multiple seasons of 4,000 or more yards passing.
“He throws dig routes and up the seam really, really well,” Robinson said of White’s professional future. “That stuff bodes well for the next level. He’s got the ability to push the ball to any part of the field, but those in-between the numbers and deep shots are where I see him excel.”
A two-year starter for the Hilltoppers after transferring from South Florida and redshirting during the 2015 season at WKU, White flourished under two offenses in the Red and White and has played in three separate offenses over his career. That variety in scheme, and his ability to adapt to it right away, is something Robinson feels will only help White moving forward.
“It takes a lot of guys two or three years to feel completely comfortable with the system, no matter if it’s the college or NFL,” Robinson, a three-year starter at Oklahoma State added. “Having the exposure that he’s had to different offenses and his ability to piece it all together I think will definitely help him when he takes the transition. He’ll be able to take things from every offense that he’s had and use that to form into however, in his mind, he can learn it the fastest and compete right away.”
PFF’s Jordan Plocher, in his Wednesday write-up from Senior Bowl practices, added this about White’s performance during the week: “Western Kentucky QB Mike White appeared to be the steadiest and most accurate of the South team quarterbacks once again on Wednesday. White’s practice performance will go a long way in helping his draft grade with teams, as he didn’t have the same caliber of statistical season with a new coaching staff and offense that he had 2017.”
(Courtesy WKU Athletics)
