Undrafted Raiders rookie Javin White envisions nightmare scenario
Javin White was raised in Oakland and went to college in Las Vegas, so it stands to reason being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Raiders is a dream come true.
Not exactly. Remember coach Jon Gruden’s “Hard Knocks” speech a year ago about wanting players who were nightmares, intent on ruining the hopes of the opposition and even teammates who were also vying for a spot on the roster?
White, a linebacker from McClymonds High and UNLV, was listening.
Still is.
“I look forward to being a guy that proves people wrong,” White said in a phone interview. “Coach Gruden likes people that like nightmares. I embrace being a nightmare. I feel like I’m a nightmare myself.”
Asked to elaborate, White shifted in to high gear.
“I think I’m a nightmare for offensive coordinators, to be honest with you,” White said. “I’m a run-stuffer. I can cover tight ends, I can cover running backs. I can do anything. You can’t pick a matchup you really want to see when I’m in the box.”
When that quote was relayed to Tim Skipper, his defensive coordinator and position coach at UNLV, it provoked a booming laugh.
“That sounds like him,” Skipper said in between meetings at Eastern Michigan, where he coaches linebackers. “He’s going to tell you exactly what’s on his mind. He’s not going to shy away.”
In a year where trying to make an NFL team as an undrafted free agent is not for the faint of heart, that’s a good thing.
Much of training camp and four exhibition games were wiped out due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Raiders will have about 15 legitimate practices to get ready for the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 13 in the regular season opener.
So if there’s a Jalen Richard, Alec Ingold or Keisean Nixon out there who hopes to make the roster despite being passed up in the draft, there are precious few opportunities.
The second phase of training camp doesn’t begin until Aug. 17 when the pads go on. So far it’s been all walkthroughs and zoom conferences, without the entire team being together for a single meeting. Yet White has done enough that Gruden brought up his name in a teleconference with reporters Thursday.
When asked about remaking the position of linebacker, Gruden referenced free agent acquisitions and projected starters Nick Kwiatkoski and Cory Littleton while throwing in White’s name without prompting.
“We’re really happy with Kwiatkoski and Littleton and there’s a young kid out of Nevada-Las Vegas, a young, undrafted free agent named Javin White, who’s doing some good things,” Gruden said.
Gruden also singled out White as an “outstanding performer” in a team teleconference during the first weekend for the rookie class.
At an angular 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, White’s lack of bulk would be considered a detriment except for the fact that Raiders linebackers have covered tight ends and running backs as if in cement shoes for the better part of the last 25 years.
The more NFL teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs that gravitate toward spread-the-field attacks designed to make big plays in space, the more linebackers with skill sets similar to White’s will be required.
“He’s a long body guy that will be really, really good covering receivers, running backs and tight ends,” Skipper said. “He can handle all three levels of that. He was listed as a linebacker at UNLV, but we actually lined him up at corner sometimes.
“He’s very intelligent, so I’m sure he stuck out that way as far as knowledge and knowing the defense. Coach Gruden is probably surprised by that.”
Javin White with his 3rd interception of the season and the 9th of his career!! #BEaREBEL #UNLVFB #SBSFarewell pic.twitter.com/vOOtSKBhrN
— UNLV Football (@unlvfootball) November 23, 2019
At McClymonds, White, who also excelled on the track team as a high jumper, was constantly coming to the sideline with ideas for coach Michael Peters.
“He pushed everybody. He pushed his teammates, he pushed the coaches, and every time he’d come off the field he’d come back and say, `Coach, I saw this, I saw that.’ “
Skipper said White fits perfectly into the desire of Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock to bring in “football nerds” who can’t get enough in terms of practice and strategy.
“He loves ball. He loves watching, he loves playing,” Skipper said. “He’s one of those guys that’s not just looking where the ball’s going. He wants to see what all 11 people are doing.”
White finished his college career with 201 tackles (18 for loss) with 3 1/2 sacks, nine interceptions 15 passes defensed and a fumble recovery.
A budding small school West Oakland football power when White was there, the McClymonds experience went a long way toward instilling the energy and confidence that carried him to the precipice of an NFL roster.
“Coach Peters runs a strict program. He’s our warden, as a lot of people would say,” White said. “We worked hard, were disciplined and smart.”
The field of linebackers aside from Littleton and Kwiatkoski includes returnee Nick Morrow, himself an undrafted free agent and three year-veteran, along with special teams player Kyle Wilber, Justin Phillips, Muse, recently acquired Bryce Hager and Nick Usher.
Littleton, Kwaitkoski and Muse are carved in stone barring injury. The rest is up for grabs, and this year there’s an expanded 16-man practice squad for those who don’t make the final 53 and clear waivers.
As for the prospect of taking on offensive linemen who outweigh him by 100 pounds or more, White sounded unconcerned.
“You win some, you lose some,” White said. “Sometimes you take ’em on, sometimes you stick and move. It’s all about getting to the ball.”
White is eagerly awaiting the contact phase to prove he can do just that.
“Like coach Gruden said, it all looks good right now, but we find out more when the pads go on,” White said. “My job right now is to keep their eyes open. I plan on keeping their eyes open throughout camp.”