Drew White is an intriguing depth option at LB

Drew White, LB
School: Notre Dame | Conference: ACC
College Experience: Senior | Age: 23
Height / Weight: 6’0” / 227 lbs

College Statistics

Player Overview

While White only played in four games in his first two seasons at Notre Dame, he broke out as a junior (2019), making 80 tackles, including 8 tackles for a loss and 2 sacks. In 2020, as a senior, collected 56 tackles and impressed sufficiently to be named a team captain in 2021.

As a captain, White made seven tackles in the season opener against Florida State. He logged one less tackle (55) but grabbed 30 on his own, and as he became even more vocal on the field, he started to have more explosive plays. He grabbed his first interception against Wisconsin, returning it for 45 yards and six points. He also had two fumble recoveries this year.

White’s reputation as a locker room leader and as a teacher is a common theme in several of the write-ups focused on his time in South Bend.

“He’s resilient, a really tough guy, and he cares a lot about this team,” graduate student defensive tackle Kurt Hinish said. “That’s why he’s had success here. He’s an extremely hard worker.”

“He’s a warrior,” (head coach) Brian Kelly said, simply.

Strengths

• Great team leader. Stepped up when Notre Dame lost Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
• Very consistent tackler.
• Possesses great instincts.
• Has special teams upside.
• Hits hard and can force turnovers.

Weaknesses

• Not strong in coverage.
• Doesn’t have the ideal athleticism for a pro LB.
• Can get caught up on blocks and manhandled by physical TEs.

Let’s See His Work

How He Will Fit

White is a bit undersized by historical LB metrics, but his athleticism, particularly his short yardage burst, registers as “elite,” and shows up in his film when diagnosing plays at the line of scrimmage. Similar to Jamin Davis and Cole Holcomb, he may have some issues struggling with shedding blocks near the line of scrimmage, but if the defensive line can help to keep the linebackers clean in the coming season, he could be just the sort of quick thinking tackler who could be a very interesting depth addition.

It’s no secret that linebacker is one of the shallowest position groups on the Commanders’ roster, with a pretty dramatic drop off from the two starters, and at least one or two players who are primarily special teams’ contributors. Given what I’ve seen of White, I wouldn’t be surprised at all, given his skills and passion, to see him competing successfully for one of the spots on the back end of the 53-man roster in September.