Jets 1st Round Pick Could Come Down to White vs Cooper

By Glenn Naughton

With the NFL combine underway, draft season has officially arrived.  Over the next two-plus months, stories, rumors, speculation and leaks will be flooding the internet as armchair GM’s chime in on how teams around the NFL should spend their draft picks.

For the New York Jets, the needs are plenty and their current draft slot is high as they sit at number six overall.   Roughly seventy days away from the draft and early on the Jets have been linked to a slew of players. Two of those players are wide receivers Amari Cooper of Alabama and Kevin White out of West Virginia.  Both would be logical choices to team up with Eric Decker, Jeremy Kerley, and Jace Amaro  if the Jets do in fact part ways with WR Percy Harvin.

With that in mind, JetNation.com takes a look  at Cooper and White, comparing their size, overall college production, and signature performances, to go along with some opinions from NFL insiders.

Size:

Cooper- 6′ 1”, 210 lbs

White- 6′ 3”, 219 lbs

College Production:

Cooper- In 38 career college games, Cooper hauled in 228 passes for 3,463 yards and 31 touchdowns at Alabama, a staggering percentage was a result of an incredible 2014 for the Junior from Miami, FL.  He led the nation with 124 catches for 1,727 yards in 2014, finishing second in touchdowns with 16.  As a result, Cooper was named SEC offensive player of the year, and also received the Fred Biletnikoff award, given to the nation’s top receiver.

White- Having played fifteen fewer college games than Cooper, White’s career numbers of 144/1,954/15 are dwarfed by Cooper’s output, but don’t let the numbers fool you.  White, along with Cooper, was one of the best offensive players in the country last season.  At West Virginia, he logged  1,447 yards on 109 catches to go along with 10 touchdowns.

Signature Performance:

Cooper- Against Auburn University in the Iron Bowl, Cooper came up huge in a 55-44 Alabama victory. His 13 catches for 224 yards and three touchdowns played a huge role in the two teams setting the all-time combined scoring record in the 45 year history of the Iron Bowl.

White- Big time players step up in big games, and in West Virginia’s 2014 matchup against no. 4 Baylor, White turned in one of his best performances of the season.  Facing a Baylor defense that held opposing quarterbacks to a under 55% completion percentage and fewer 265 yards per game through the air, White proved to be too much to handle.  His  8 catches for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns led the Mountaineers to their biggest win of the season as they upset Baylor by a score of 41-27.

What Scouts are Saying:

Cooper:

Mike Mayock in a recent teleconference in discussing Cooper said, “I think Cooper from Alabama has got the highest score,” Mayock said. “In other words, I think he’s the safest pick of that group. Really good route runner, had over 100 catches last year, reminds me of some of those wide outs that played on the Greatest Show on Turf with Dick Vermeil in St. Louis, Torry Holt, for example, that type of wide receiver,

White:

Mayock continued his comments regarding White however, saying “My number one wide receiver is Kevin White from West Virginia,” the analyst said. “I think I know what Amari Cooper is, what a great football player he is. But I have Kevin White above him because I think he’s got a higher ceiling. I think his potential is greater. He’s 6-foot-3, 219 pounds, but I want to know what he runs. I have all over my notes that he’s a 4.5-flat guy (in the 40-yard dash).

So, if either or both of these players are on the board when the Jets are on the clock, will one of them be wearing green and white on Sundays?  In just over two months we’ll find out.

Be sure to check out our draft forum to talk about the NY Jets Draft.

Glenn Naughton

Glenn was Born in the Bronx, New York and has followed the Jets religiously despite being stationed in several different countries and time zones around the world. He now resides in England and has been a JetNation member since 2005. Glenn will bleed green with the rest of us through the highs and lows.

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