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Did the Bengals find a diamond in the rough in Ka’Raun White?
If you recall, he Bengals claimed White off of waivers from the Seahawks in early May after he was signed as an undrafted free agent following the NFL Draft. The Bengals quickly scooped him up off waivers, and now he’s fighting for a roster spot in a crowded receiver room in Cincinnati.
Over at Bleacher Report, they listed White as the Bengals’ most exciting undrafted free agent. While more attention has been paid to Ohio State linebacker Chris Worley and South Florida quarterback/running back Quinton Flowers, there’s a case to be made for White ending up as the best UDFA the Bengals landed this offseason.
White paired well with quarterback Will Grier, who possessed the mobility to keep plays alive while under duress. On film, it’s a great sign to see the pass-catcher find a way to free himself on broken plays. It’s a quality that signal-caller Andy Dalton can appreciate on extended sequences.
White didn’t impress with blazing speed in the 40-yard dash (4.52), but he knows how to create separation on sharp intermediate routes. His scoring volume shows the potential to become a threat in the red zone.
A 6’1”, 206-pound wide receiver, White enjoyed a solid college football career with the West Virginia Mountaineers.
White played in 33 games (26 starts) over three seasons (2015-18) at West Virginia. He finished his career with 124 catches for 1862 yards and 17 scores.
As a senior last season, White racked up 61 receptions for 1,004 yards, and his 12 scores tied for third-most in a season in WVU history.
Former #WVU WR Ka'Raun White ranked 17th in passer rating when targeted (107.6) and sixth in deep receiving yards (509) among qualifying draft-eligible FBS WRs in 2017.
— PFF CIN Bengals (@PFF_Bengals) May 8, 2018
White, however, did drop 8-of-69 catchable targets in 2017, ranking outside the top-40 in the class. https://t.co/o9w35u2PkX
Prior to the draft, White was given a 5.14 grade by NFL.com, which is in the ‘Better-Than-Average Chance to Make NFL Roster’ tier of prospects. He’s was given a Round 7/undrafted free agent projection.
White will now look to compete with the likes of Auden Tate, Alex Erickson, Cody Core and Josh Malone for one of the final wide receivers spots when the 53-man rosters are formed in September.