What are the Birds getting in the former Buccaneers linebacker?

Well, the Eagles signed a linebacker! So full disclosure, I wasn’t particularly happy when I saw the news that the Eagles had signed Devin White because I’ve never been impressed by him whenever I watch the Buccaneers. Anyway, the great thing about these posts is that they make me go back and watch each player, and I was glad I watched Devin White. I’m not saying I’m happy about the signing, but I do think I see him slightly differently after actually watching him. [Previously in this series: Bryce Huff review | Saquon Barkley review]

Stats

Strengths

+ White is really aggressive when coming downhill if he is kept clean. He can penetrate gaps quickly and use his speed and burst to avoid linemen trying to reach him.

+ He has the speed to cover backs and tight ends and especially carry them to the flat. This is important in a Vic Fangio defense, where linebackers are often asked to cover a running back in man coverage (especially if the back lines up opposite Trips - as Fangio likes to be 5over3 to the Trips side if there is a deep crossing route).

+ White is one of the most athletic and explosive pass rushers you will see from the linebacker position. You don’t get drafted in the top 10 as an off-ball linebacker unless you are an outstanding athlete. He can get to the quarterback in a matter of seconds.

+ He shows some good awareness and ability in zone coverage, but this is inconsistent. However, he doesn’t need to be perfect because he has the speed to redirect if he makes a slight misstep.

+ It’s been a while since the Eagles had a linebacker who can make crazy athletic plays. Devin White is going to make some ridiculous plays, hopefully like this one.

+ He’s a really strong tackler and he hits with the force needed to knock running backs backward, rather than just allowing them to push forward.

+ He was more aware of play-action than I expected based on what I had read.

+ The film is not perfect, and there are some worrying trends, but this is the most talented linebacker the Eagles have had in a long time. At least he has talent to work with.

Weaknesses

- He really needs to be kept clean in the run game or it can be rough. He can be passive and lightweight when it comes to taking on pulling guards in the run game and really struggles to get off blocks.

- Sometimes he can get moved by tight ends. Which is not what you want to see. And I mean properly moved, not just blocked.

- He takes some bizarre angles in the run game at times. I am not sure if he is gambling and being overaggressive, or just not reading the play very well, but he takes some very peculiar angles.

- I am not convinced he is actually a great pass rusher, and I didn’t see him defeat many blocks. I think his pass-rushing success primarily comes down to his pure speed.

- Sometimes he can be overaggressive in coverage or lack a bit of awareness.

- He’s been in the league for 5 years and still has inconsistent film. I am optimistic that Fangio is a great teacher, but I find it unlikely that he will dramatically change his game. He’s probably going to remain a talented, albeit inconsistent player.

- He is going to have to learn a new scheme, because the way he was used with the Bucs is completely different from how he will be used this year.

Overall

Hmm. There’s no point doing these posts if I’m not honest, so yeah, I’m not a huge fan of this one. I don’t hate it! And I can see a scenario where it works really well, but I don’t expect this to solve the Eagles’ problems at linebacker all of a sudden.

Devin White was a top 10 pick for a reason. He is an incredibly talented athlete and he has bags of potential. But I don’t think the film that I watched was that good. The 49ers film in particular is a bit of a disaster. I do not think he gets anywhere near the amount of money that he did if he was not a former top 10 pick. All coaches believe that they can be the ‘one’ to unlock an extremely talented athlete, but the truth is that players will rarely dramatically change after 5 years in the NFL.

I think the really interesting thing is that Devin White comes from a system that is completely different from the one that Fangio plays. There is just no way he is going to blitz as much as he was with the Bucs this past season. I really, really hope this was a Fangio signing and not a Howie Roseman signing. I am telling myself that Fangio must have seen something in White’s film that makes him think that he can turn him into an excellent linebacker in his system. This is what I’m telling myself anyway...

As I’ve made pretty clear, I’m not sold on Devin White, but he’s clearly better than Shaq Leonard, Nicholas Morrow, and Zach Cunningham. Although, I honestly think I might be better than Shaq Leonard at this point. I am a little worried about how undersized this Eagles’ defensive front 7 is, and I’m not sure I see either White or Nakobe Dean as a classic ‘stack’ backer who can take on pulling guards and be physical against the run. I am pretty worried about the trust the Eagles are putting in Jordan Davis to carry this lightweight front 7 against physical run games. I would like to see some more size added to the front 7.

Devin White is extremely talented, and a super fun athlete to watch, but the Eagles are going to be putting a lot of faith in Vic Fangio to turn him into a good starting linebacker in his system, or the Eagles’ linebacker play might be poor once again. My fingers are crossed that Devin White can look good in a very different system than he is used to. At the very least, we will all get to watch someone with actual starting talent at linebacker!