Devin White: The hype vs. the player so far

Sky-high expectations

When Devin White’s name was called out on draft night, and he stood next to Roger Goodell holding up a Bucs Jersey, you could almost hear the collective expectation of the Bucs Nation gearing up. Maybe not since the coming of Christ has there been so much positive anticipation, and hope of a savior, placed at one man’s feet. (that’s an exaggeration, of course, but not so far off in the context of one team’s fan-base.) The comparisons were rampant. Derrick Brooks 2.0, a drive and a motor like Ray Lewis, a combination of speed and agility rarely seen, a true leader of men. Those were just a few of the superlatives being bandied about as Devin White boarded the Buccaneers Man O’ War.

First game reality (we know it’s just preseason)

Fast forward to the Bucs first preseason game with Pittsburgh. When the game was over and the cannon smoke cleared, White played 11 snaps in the game, producing one tackle and a lot of disappointment. To be fair to Devin, sometimes expectations can be a bad thing when they are put at so high of a level. Let’s all keep in mind that one game, especially a preseason game, a player does not make. It’s also fair to say that even Devin White could be caught off guard by the sheer speed of the players and the overall game of the NFL.

Second Game Reality

Devin White played 13 snaps of the game last night against the Dolphins and did not record one statistic. He will have more playing time in next week’s game against the Browns and have a chance to show more of what he can do, but let’s be honest, should we be worried?