Before the Chiefs draft an entire new draft class to analyze, let’s take a look back at 2016. Our next Rookie Review is D.J. White.
The final piece of the puzzle in the trade out of the first round for the Kansas City Chiefs became sixth round pick D.J. White. After the San Francisco 49ers traded up to take guard Joshua Garnett in the first round, the Chiefs received the Niners second round pick (Chris Jones), their fourth (Parker Ehinger) and their sixth, which became White. The Chiefs also surrendered a seventh round pick in the trade.
The Georgia Tech cornerback earned honorable mention All-ACC honors his junior year and showed impressive coverage skills his final two seasons. White also profiled well as a special teams player in the NFL with his nose for the ball, toughness and solid speed.
Measurements
5-11, 193 lbs.
Key college stats
41 tackles, 2 INTs, 8 passes defended in 2015
What they said at the time
"“White lacks some baseline traits to ever compete for significant play time but he’s a smart player who needs to earn his keep on special teams.” -Mark Dulgerian"
One year later
The unexpected release of KeiVarae Russell early in the season gave White a bit more of a chance to showcase his abilities early on. White took to the playbook much faster than Russell, which earned him some preseason reps. It was also a good thing that Dorsey invested three of his picks in the secondary in the 2016 draft given that Russell was later released. The Chiefs even traded for Kenneth Acker around the same time, but fortunately Dorsey had the bodies he needed in the secondary.
White played in only 126 special teams snaps and 136 defensive snaps on the year, so he’s not well-versed in either, but earning that many defensive reps for a sixth round pick in a secondary with so many other options is a good sign for White. He also had his first career interception against the New York Jets in a Week 3 win.
Summary
A promising young player who will still need to compete for his roster spot in 2017 with this year’s incoming class.