20/20: Rachaad White, RB Arizona State
Welcome to the 20/20 series. As part of our continued Dynasty Scouts coverage and in preparation for the NFL Combine, we profile 20 of the top incoming rookies of the class of 2022 by giving you 20 facts you must know.
1. Player Name: Rachaad White
2. College: Arizona State
3. Height/Weight: 6-2, 210 lbs
4. Birthdate: 1/12/1999
5. Class: Senior
6. Basic college stats: The running back position is often profiled through a player’s best season. That does White a favor because as a senior, he finally made it onto a CFB field for a full slate of games. He hit 1,000 rushing yards, 456 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns.
These numbers don’t jump off the page but, on the Arizona offense, it was impressive. His quarterback accounted for 28% of the team’s total rushing yards, making his overall rushing opportunity share look lower than his performance per attempt.
Statistics from Sports Reference.
7. NFL draft round projection: Currently projected in the fourth round, White looks to follow in the footsteps (like Eno Benjamin and Kalen Ballage before him) of players from this conference getting lower draft capital (0.7% drafted rate in the first three rounds since 2009).
Data from NFL Mock Draft Database.
8. Senior Bowl standout?: The Senior Bowl is an important chance for players to improve their draft stock. Reports suggest he was impressive during practice and his 29 yards on seven carries should have left an impression.
9. Current rookie rank: White is currently ranked as the RB5 in DLF’s rookie ranks as a late first/early second-round pick.
10. Dynasty value: Based on this draft class, I think an interesting landing spot could see White’s value increase after the NFL Draft. However, right now, despite DLF’s ranking, I think he could be going under the radar.
11. Community college transfer: The reason White has only two years of production at Arizona is he spent his first college season redshirting at Nebraska-Kearney before transferring to Mt. San Antonio College. There he racked up 1,264 yards and ten touchdowns before moving to Arizona, finally in the CFB.
12. Only one season: White’s 2020 season was essentially canceled. The team only played four games due to Covid-19. It was a shame as he started that season on fire, with 571 total yards and six TDs in those games. But he made up for the missed year in 2021.
13. Jackson He’s touchdown: There’s a sportsmanship award-winning story about White trying to help his teammate, a walk-on running back called Jackson He. It’s particularly also fun that He is the CFB’s first Asian-born player to score a touchdown. It’s a nice story and says something about White’s personality in my opinion. I found this tidbit from a story told on the Pac-12 Network.
You saw the history that @ASUFootball's Jackson He made last weekend. But wait till you hear this back story involving Rachaad White! 🙌🏈❤️
📺 Pac-12 Network
🔊 @SXMCollege (channel 373)
📱 https://t.co/7bHMYBrFK8
🗣️ @GuyHaberman + @YogiRoth #Pac12FB | #BackThePac pic.twitter.com/UioXZH4L7x— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) December 16, 2020
14. Current NFL comp: The best comparisons I could come up with based on the conference drafted rate and overall numbers were Marlon Mack and Kenneth Dixon.
15. Impressive receiving numbers: Size concerns, conference concerns and a lack of draft pedigree potential are all over this running back class. This makes those receiving chops and fantasy floors even more important.
Only one running back in this class has caught more receiving yards in a single season than White (456 in 2021), and that back is Max Borghi (597 in 2020). White did it on 43 receptions, as opposed to Borghi’s 86.
White also has the second most receptions per game (3.4) in the class.
16. Team carrier: White had the team’s second-highest share of receiving yards in 2021 as a running back, as well as being the team’s lead rusher.
17. Fast: Before the Scouting Combine, we’re left to speculate about players’ ability to do well in gym shorts. However, according to Jim Nagy, Rachaad White could do well in that aspect as he recorded one of the fastest max speeds during the senior bowl.
Top 5 Max Speeds from Senior Bowl National Practice per @ZebraTechnology:
*Fayetteville State CB Josh Williams – 21.75 mph
*Nevada WR Romeo Doubs – 21.25 mph
*Arizona St RB Rachaad White – 21.15 mph
* Ole Miss WR Braylon Sanders – 20.84 mph
* NDSU WR Christian Watson – 20.71 mph— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) February 1, 2022
18. Missed time: White didn’t miss anytime in Arizona due to injury.
19. Best possible landing Spot: Arizona springs to mind. White is familiar with and has excelled at, being in an offense split with a quarterback. He could pair up well with Kyler Murray.
20. Bottom Line: White is an interesting blend of size and skill set. He has an “origin” story that makes you want to root for him and a history of on and off-field stories that make it easy to believe teams who interview him are going to come away impressed.
However, his draft projection has dropped and there is a strong possibility he becomes a fantasy-neutral part of a committee. I’d prefer he landed in an ambiguous backfield, lower in the draft rather than as a “handcuff” behind a more established player. In the end, I’m impressed with his ascent through the ranks as he’s faced a lot of adversity to opportunity already and kept moving in the right direction every time.
UDFA's matter | British ex-pat | Writer of things
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