The first round of the NFL Draft has been decided, with rounds two and three taking place tonight, and rounds four through seven on Saturday. Over the past few years, players like Jordan Mason, Juannie Thomas, and Tyler Davis have gone from being late picks/undrafted to making an impact on their teams. Will the Yellow Jackets be able to acquire such a player in this year’s draft?
One player to watch is linebacker Andre White Jr., who came to Georgia Tech after starting his career at Texas A&M.
White played just 134 snaps last season, but he did pretty well on PFF. He finished with the 17th-best mark on Georgia Tech’s defense with 64.5 points, including 80.0 points on pass-rushing snaps. White found a way to make an impact off the bench at Georgia Tech, finishing the season with 24 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
White is a former four-star recruit out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and here’s his scouting report from high school, courtesy of 247Sports national recruiting analyst Brian Dorn.
“Incredible frame that adds 15 pounds to play at 230 pounds. Can play inside or outside linebacker. Runs well and closing speed is impressive. Reaches full speed in a few steps. Movements are smooth and easy. Directions “He can play with gaps and be physical, and he can find the ball carrier quickly. Physical strength requires effort. He needs to be consistent in the tackle and keep his pad level low. He’s a third- or fourth-round pick from a top-20 power five school. ”
White played 161 snaps in his first season at A&M and finished the season with 15 tackles and two sacks. He finished with a PFF (Pro Football Focus) defensive rating of 57.9, run defense rating of 43.6, tackle rating of 44.5, pass rushing rating of 62.7, and coverage rating of 62.3. He also had a 33.3% missed tackle rate.
In 2020, White saw an increase in snaps, but his PFF performance declined slightly. He finished with a defensive grade of 53.3, run defense of 46.5, tackles for loss of 69.4, pass rush of 70.9 and coverage of 53.0. His missed tackle rate dropped significantly to 9.7%, and he recorded 32 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
White played the most snaps of his career in the 2021 season (498), but did not perform well in PFF. He finished with a defensive grade of 40.0, run defense of 45.3, tackles for loss of 73.0, pass rush of 55.0, and coverage of 37.9. His missed tackle rate was just 9.7%. White had a career-high 57 tackles and also recorded one sack.
He missed his final season in College Station with an injury, which limited him to 245 snaps. He finished with a defensive grade of 55.1, run defense of 48.4, tackles for loss of 61.5, pass rush of 70.8 and coverage grade of 60.2.
White was able to train at his hometown team, the Atlanta Falcons’ local pro day.
A closer look at White’s career with Georgia Tech Athletics:
2023 (Senior):Overcame an early-season injury and played in 10 games as a reserve linebacker…Comed off the bench and recorded 24 tackles, including 2.5 sacks…Early season against Louisville (September 1) and against No. 17 Ole Miss (but Wake He had a great performance with four tackles, including 1.5 sacks, in a 30-16 win against Forest (September 23), followed by three tackles each against Bowling Green (September 30). 23-20 win over No. 17 Miami (Florida State) (October 7)… Four tackles, including a sack, against Clemson (November 11)… Third with four stops against Syracuse (November 11). 18).
2019-22 (Texas A&M): Came to Georgia Tech as a graduate from Texas A&M with one season of eligibility remaining… Appeared in 40 games over four seasons with the Aggies, making 139 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 1 interception, 6 pass breakups, forced fumble and fumble recovery…Played in 7 games as a junior in 2022, made 4 starts…Finished 5th on team with 35 tackles (19 solo), 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 3 pass breakups… Participated in the season opener against Southam Houston and recorded 4 tackles, 2 breakups, 1 forced fumble… 4 tackles including a solo sack. , added a breakup upon returning from injury at South Carolina…six tackles, 2.0 points for loss vs. Ole Miss…recorded a season-high seven tackles against Florida and had six tackles the following week against Auburn. … Played in all 12 games as a sophomore in 2021, starting nine … Recorded two tackles in the season-opening win over Kent State … Had 1.0 sacks and rushed for Colorado State … Against the Buffaloes Added 3 tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss … Had 3 tackles against New Mexico State … Had 5 tackles against Arkansas State … Matched career-high 8 tackles against Mississippi State for No. 1 Alabama Big win…Leaded Aggies with 9 tackles as defense held No. 12 Auburn to just 3 points…Scored 6 solo takedowns at LSU…Played in all 10 games as a sophomore (remains eligible) During the COVID-19 pandemic, he saw the field on both defense and special teams…he had five tackles, a QB rush and a pass breakup in the season-opening win over Vanderbilt…at Alabama. He was second on the team with six tackles…had takedowns in wins over Florida State and Mississippi State…made a tackle in a win over Arkansas State…in a 48-3 blowout win at South Carolina. Recorded three tackles, including half a tackle for loss… Leveled LSU quarterback with first sack, set season high in win over Tigers… Made two tackles in win at Auburn… Tennessee Recovered a fumble after being sacked by DeMarvin Leal in the win over North Carolina…Maked his first career start, recorded a career-high eight tackles, had 0.5 sacks and made his first career interception in the Orange Bowl win over North Carolina. … Played in 11 games as a freshman … Participated in a tackle in the season-opening win over Texas State … Had two tackles for No. 1 Clemson … Had two tackles in the win over Lamar … vs. Ole Miss He had two tackles, including a sack for an 11-yard loss in the loss. He had two tackles and a rush in the win over Mississippi State. He had four tackles against UTSA. He had a sack for a five-yard loss against South Carolina. Did…played at Texas A&M with current Georgia Tech teammates Haynes King and Chase Lane.
high school: Attended Harrisburg High School…finished his senior season in 2018 with 132 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 1 pass breakup…had perhaps his best performance in the playoffs, making 25 tackles in the district championship game. did.
