Kevin White has yet to play one single, solitary NFL snap, but that didn't stop new receivers coach Curtis Johnson from heaping some weighty comparisons on the wideout.
"Kevin White was one of the better receivers I've seen coming out (of college)," Johnson said, via the Chicago Tribune. "He reminded me of some of the guys I had at Miami. He reminded me of Andre Johnson. Very similar to him. Hands similar to Reggie Wayne. Kevin's one of those guys that when you looked at the draft and you watched television, you said this guy's going to be a bona fide player."
Curtis Johnson coached receivers at Miami from 1996 through 2005, a span that included both Andre Johnson and Wayne.
When asked to expand on his comparison to Andre Johnson, the coach noted White's combo of speed and physicality.
"He's big and physical and fast," he said. "That doesn't go together sometimes. But when you see a big guy like that who's physical, fast and athletic, you just wonder how good this guy could really be."
White missed his entire rookie season with a leg injury. Now, fully healthy, the No. 7 overall pick in 2015 has the chance to pair with Alshon Jeffery as one of the top duos in the NFL.
There are questions littered around the Bears' remade roster, especially in the backfield and the future under center, but Chicago boasts what should be one of the top receiver corps in the NFL in Jeffery, White and Eddie Royal. The key is White's ability to stay healthy and take advantage of double teams on Jeffery.
If he comes close to the comparisons made by his coach, White would push the Bears offense from a bottom-of-the-barrel passing attack to the upper echelon.
