Following the Dream
It happened to Antwaan Randel-El, it happened to Brad Smith, and it would have happened to Eric Crouch if he hadn’t been too stubborn and ruined his chance at an NFL career. All were great college quarterbacks, but athletes and runners first, and all had to make the switch to wide receiver to make it in the pros. It happens, and there is no shame in it. However, like Crouch, these fine athletes are reluctant to make the change. They played quarterback because they loved it, because they loved being the guy the offense ran though, but they just didn’t have the passing ability to hack it at the NFL level.
This is the position Pat White currently finds himself in. White was one of the most successful players in college football history, and will live on in West Virginia lore forever. However, the reason he ended up in West Virginia, White grew up in Alabama, is because all the SEC schools wanted to make him a wide receiver. Now, after a tremendous college career under center, the NFL has the same plans for White the SEC did. Even though White threw the ball a lot better this year, the fact remains NFL personnel men, who for the most part know what they are doing, don’t think he has what it takes to be an NFL signal caller.
This has not deterred White’s dream of being an NFL quarterback, however. When he went to the practice for the Senior Bowl, he decided against running some plays at wide receiver, instead wanting to focus on showing his abilities under center. In the game, a sort of All-Star game for seniors to showcase themselves to the NFL, White threw for 95 yards and a touchdown, and also ran three times for 31 yards. Nice numbers, sure, but not likely to be enough, quite frankly.
Determined as he is, White’s future in the NFL is probably as a wide receiver. The fact remains he is rather small to be an NFL QB, and he spent pretty much his entire college career in a spread running attack. In college, he never called the players or even the audibles, entirely reliant on his coach to do that.
That kind of thing doesn’t fly in the NFL. While White’s efforts are certainly admirable, and one would have to be rather mean spirited to root against him, the pragmatic person realizes it is almost inevitable White ends up at wide receiver, perhaps periodically taking the snap in some sort of “Wildcat” formation. White was a great college quarterback. White is a tremendous athlete. However, White will be, most likely, a professional wide receiver. There is nothing wrong with that.
If you enjoyed this post then try these:
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