Kevin White Eager to Show Bears Were Right Selecting Him
Kevin White is eager to prove the Bears were right selecting him with the 7th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Two of the biggest weapons for the Chicago Bears offense have departed over the offseason. Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett are headed to the AFC East. The third weapon has been missing in action for most of the offseason program with Alshon Jeffery happy to take his guaranteed franchise tag money and work out in Florida. We’ve heard a lot about the departures, but not much has been made of the biggest addition to the Bears offense, wide receiver Kevin White.
White was selected seventh overall in the 2015 NFL Draft but had to undergo season-ending surgery to repair a stress fracture before he hit training camp. If you think Bears fans are eager to see White hit the field, you can only imagine how White feels about hitting the field for the first time in a Bears uniform.
White was devastated when he got word from GM Ryan Pace that he’d have to have surgery to fix his stress fracture.
"But it was heartbreaking. I felt like I wanted to throw up. I’d wake up with nightmares, tossing and turning. I was crying, upset, all of the above. Words really can’t explain it."
Let’s hope that the only ones having nightmares this season are opposing cornerbacks.
White admits that he feels pressure to perform and prove the organization right.
"You want to make the organization and the guys upstairs look good, like they made a smart decision. Of course you don’t want to let anyone down, whether it’s fans, coaches, teammates, family, yourself. But I don’t get tied into all of that, to be honest. Play hard, play smart, and get better every day."
A lot of people have set the bar high for White. He was drafted to “replace” Brandon Marshall alongside Jeffery but also to provide a new dimension to the Bears offense. He is not only a big target, but he’s got the top end speed that the Bears receivers have lacked to stretch the field and create holes underneath.
White has been working closely with Jay Cutler to establish chemistry and build the trust that’s needed between a receiver and his quarterback. Maybe Alshon Jeffery’s absence throughout the offseason will benefit White to get closer to Cutler, who often used Jeffery as his security blanket last season, when Jeffery actually played?
If the Bears are going to live up to some of their pre-season hype, they’ll need White to live up to his draft status and prove that Ryan Pace was right making him the first pick of his regime.