With the 174th selection in the ROD Draft. the Bengals select
Rachaad White RB Arizona St
White was widely recruited as received no offers from big schools and so opted to join the Division 2 University of Nebraska at Kearney. That never really worked out how he hoped and he moved from school to school before finally getting noticed as a JUCO prospect and being handed a three-star recruiting rating by ESPN.
He joined Arizona in 2019 and didn't look back - chalking up 420 yds and 5 TDs in only four games during the COVID shortened season of 2020.
2021 was even more impressive where he had a chance to start every game for the Sun Devils as he put up 1006 yds and 15 TDs on the ground while adding a rare 456 yds as a receiver. He has been invited to the senior bowl and with it a chance to further boost his draft stock.
SCOUTING REPORT: STRENGTHS
- Possesses quick feet and straight-line speed but doesn't have the elite burst to be a constant big-play threat. Improving patience as a runner, following pulling guards and makes good decisions on his cut.
- Has excellent hands and has the skills to line up as a wide receiver and run a full route tree
- Long arms with an elite catch radius
- Has the feet and feel running between the tackles and in the open field. He has very good vision and the patience to pick through defenses.
- He has excellent balance and ability to stay upright after initial contact
- Great speed for his size and runs like a wide receiver in the open field
- Good patience behind the line of scrimmage with the vision to find running lanes
- Nice bag of tricks to avoid tacklers - spin moves, hurdles, and makes good use of a stiff arm
- Accelerates to top speed quickly and shows a surprising burst to beat linebackers to the edge with good lateral agility. Can plant his foot in the ground and explode, showing better straight-line speed than expected.
- Made Bruce Feldman's Freaks list -- "ASU staffers say the 6-2 210-pound back gets better every day, easily hits 22 MPH on the GPS and also squats 500 pounds and power cleans 300."
SCOUTING REPORT: WEAKNESSES
- Offers little in pass protection and poor technique cut blocking, fails to do more than slow down oncoming pass rushers. He will need to improve this area of his game
- Has had little experience as a run blocker and unimpressive when he has been used as one
- Lacks size to be a true power back, will not move the pile at the next level
- A tall, upright runner who lacks great power as a runner. Not a quick-twitch athlete and is forced to gear down too much. Will dance and leave his feet instead of taking what's there.
- Does not always read blocks behind pulling guards
SCOUTING REPORT: SUMMARY
Rachaad White's stock has risen quicker than any other running back in this year's class - coming from being a virtual unknown to one of the top prospects in the group.
He has the best receiving skills of any back in the class and could quite easily be used as a wideout at a pinch. He has good speed, a nice feel for the game with great vision as a running back, and crucially has been injury-free his entire career. White's only major downside is his poor blocking technique and his lack of dominance as a power runner.
We are pretty high on White and think he's worthy of second-round selection who possesses the talent to be a game-changer at the next level, however, expect him to be picked in the third/fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft due to his relative obscurity.
@Corbin is on the clock
@Ramrocket is on deck
I’m here and ready to go.
Come on
@Corbin, throw us a bone