Rookie running back James White has emerged from the pack in Patriots training camp. It hasn’t been for his size or speed, but for how his game translates. (Photo: Oliver Thomas)
NEPD Editor: Oliver Thomas
It’s never been about size or straight-line speed for James White. For the 5’10”, 205-pound running back, who clocked a 4.57-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, it’s been about what’s not measured by tape, scale or stopwatch.
Vision, patience and balance.
Those are the tools White countered with when the competition caught up. He may never again be the most powerful player on the football field. He’ll likely never be the fastest one, either.
In a sense, he doesn’t have to be.
The 22-year-old Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native has a way of seeing rush lanes before they present themselves. And whether it be on a handoff, a direct snap, a reception or a kick return, he has revealed the timeliness, the low center of gravity and the short-area quickness to get through them.
The fourth-round draft pick has continued to get through them as a member of the New England Patriots this summer. (more…)
