For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord , “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV#GetLive40 #ForeverLSU pic.twitter.com/ZeOazpbOPc — DEVIN WHITE 4️⃣0️⃣ (@DevinWhite__40) January 14, 2019 In what must have been a very carefully considered and difficult decision, this morning Devin White announced he will declare for the NFL draft. The consensus All-American, All-SEC linebacker, Butkus Award winner, and Charles McClendon MVP Award winner is a projected 1st round NFL pick. White led the Tigers with 123 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 10 QB hurries, and 3 forced fumbles. Had White decided to stay, he would have been the centerpiece of a bumper crop of returning upperclassmen, including his teammates Breiden Fehoko, Rashard Lawrence and Michael Divinity in what will still be one of the country’s best defensive front sevens in 2019, plus a secondary that returns stud cornerback Kristian Fulton, All-American safety Grant Delpit and the composite No. 1 cornerback prospect in the country in Derek Stingley. This year has been a huge turnaround for LSU in keeping underclassmen for an extra year before the NFL Draft, but sometimes there’s just too much potential on the line to risk it. Here’s hoping White gets drafted somewhere that Daisy Mae can get a big open ranch.<doc-sep>The ILB crop this year is one that is not too impressive. You have two guys with legitimate star upside in the first round in Mack Wilson and Devin White. The debate of which guy is better is honestly a tough one to pin down. I am in the Mack Wilson crowd, and I do not have Devin White on the level of guys from last year, but he has some fantastic tools. If he pans out, this guy will be a legitimate star. Production Height: 6’0” Weight: 240 lbs Expected 40: 4.51 Courtesy of SportsReference.com, The Draft Network Film Room Devin White will be the Ryan Shazier of this class if there is anyone. This guy has some of the most impressive athleticism for an ILB that I have seen in a long time. You thought Leighton Vander Esch moved well? Devin White is a missile compared to him, check this out. Holy moly Devin White. Talk about sideline-to-sideline speed. pic.twitter.com/Uu0wbBJP6o — Fed Scivittaro (@MeshPointScout) October 6, 2018 Whew. That is speed and he catches a guy in Jordan Scarlett who himself is a straight burner. If Devin White has anything short of 4.5 speed I will be shocked. He is not a 4.3 guy like Ryan Shazier was, but I could see White realistically running in the high 4.4s. which would make the Steelers’ eyes pop I am sure. The way he sifts through this traffic to take an aggressive angle and then wrap up here is just how guys like him should use their athleticism. He knows how to maximize his range and does it well. Devin White is such a tough evaluation because he doesn’t trust his keys. He ALWAYS plays the run on PA and leaves open spaces across the middle because of it. He’s got to watch the blocking and other indicators for this stuff. He’s a great run defender but raw above the neck. pic.twitter.com/ztcI8UbW0P — Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) December 19, 2018 The biggest weakness of White is his inconsistency in trusting his keys. As a LB, you should look for indicators of a play, those all include either the guard to your side or potential receiver alignment. Reading off the guard is important, though, and here White fails to do so. Instead, he gets baited down the line with the play action and opens up a window for the quick slant over the middle. As an athletic LB that is good in coverage, like White is, not trusting your keys is not an ideal thing I would like to see. Absolutely love how violent #LSU LB Devin White plays the game. He is constantly relentless to the ball. pic.twitter.com/CNx5SM1kqr — Jordan Reid (@JReidNFL) December 28, 2018 White sometimes does have trouble shedding blocks in the second level, but since bulking up in the offseason, he has done it much better and has been more aggressive than ever. His downhill speed and run defense have gotten loads better because of his ability to truly filter down on through all of the traffic. That speed and range combined with those skills make him one heck of a prospect in the middle of a defense. He is a gamechanger out there in run defense due to that range. I’m not overly concerned when linebackers aren’t great at stacking and shedding OL blocks (its usually more of a processing issue), but Devin White #40 is out here getting clamped up by WRs man pic.twitter.com/WeM4L9ax3S — Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) July 20, 2018 Of course, here is the downside of him as a player as well. He doesn’t sift well through this at all, but it was in 2017, and he has shown great improvement there, so it is key to note that White is on an upward trend, even if progression isn’t linear. Weaknesses This section was headlined already, but it mostly that he just needs to process the field better. He plays the run far too much and leaves the middle of the field open in coverage, otherwise he is a fine coverage LB and makes a huge impact there. He takes the most aggressive angles possible to the ball and gets clipped because of it. Like Shazier, he can make runs absolutely huge by doing so. White is also a shaky tackler, and while he has gone away from leading with his head much more lately, he now nips as ankles far too much. He has to find a mid-ground there. Fit with the Steelers In a defense that needs a MACK ILB and someone to help L.J. Fort out, Devin White fits into the 3-4 scheme of the Steelers well. With his processing issues, Fort certainly would take off some pressure and the relief of having a guy like Vince Williams there for running situations is also a key in his run defense. The Steelers can build around White and truly create a lethal player, and all it will about is if he develops well enough or not. Final Thoughts Does White fall to the Steelers? I could see it happening due to how raw he is above the neck, and if they have their eye set on an ILB, they may trade up for him. I like White as a player, but his processing is worrying. He will need curb that weakness back and he could make a huge impact for a team in this league. He might not be as a polished, but his ceiling is perhaps the best ILB in the NFL. His floor is a being a marginal starter like Jarrad Davis. If he comes to Pittsburgh, let’s hope it is the former.<doc-sep>Getty Images The deadline for players to enter the 2019 NFL Draft before their college eligibility is on Monday and one of the biggest names yet to say what he’ll do did so with hours to spare. LSU linebacker Devin White has announced that he will forego the rest of his collegiate career in favor of making the jump to the professional ranks. White had 123 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, three sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries for the Tigers in 2018. That work led to his selection as the winner of the Butkus Award given to the nation’s top linebacker and a spot on the consensus All-America team. It should also result in hearing his name called early in this year’s draft in Nashville.<doc-sep>
The heartbeat of LSU's defense is taking his talents to the next level. On Monday morning, the final day to declare early for the 2019 NFL Draft, linebacker Devin White announced that he will turn pro and capitalize on his first-round draft stock. White finished 2018 with a team-high 123 tackles, becoming just the seventh player in LSU history to record back-to-back 100-tackle seasons during a college career. The third-year junior from Springhill, Louisiana, has been a first-team All-SEC pick each of the last two seasons and was a consensus All-America team selection this year. The announcement was made official in a video posted to White's Twitter account, complete with a rundown of the star linebacker thanking the multiple coaches who have influenced his time in Baton Rouge. "I would like to thank God, my family, coaches and teammates," White said. "To coach Les Miles and coach Frank Wilson, for offering me my first scholarship. To Dave Aranda, thank you for everything you have done for me, especially helping me become LSU's first Butkus Award winner. To Coach O, thank you for caring about me much more than a player, but as a son. Thank you for leading this team to a great season. The support you have selflessly given me has been truly remarkable." White is considered to be a first round prospect along with teammate Greedy Williams, who also announced his decision to leave early and enter in the 2019 NFL Draft. CBS Sports NFL Draft expert Ryan Wilson currently has Williams slated at No. 13 and White at No. 22 in his most recent mock draft. For LSU, it's not all farewell to the draft eligible stars from 2018's 10-win team. Defensive end Breiden Fehoko, defensive tackle Rashard Lawrence and linebacker Michael Divinity Jr. all have announced their intent to return for LSU for their senior seasons in 2019.