Kevin White ready to be a star with the Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears’ first round draft pick,

Kevin White

, is excited to be with the Bears. His road to the NFL was not easy, but he made it. Now he is ready to do what he can to be a star.

Chicago Bears /

Chicago Bears

Kevin White has not had an easy road to the NFL. In high school, he was raw, and rarely played. When he finally got to play in his senior year, he played well and made All-Conference. It was too late for him to attract Division I schools, and he did not have the grades so that was off the board.

He went to Lackawana (Scranton, PA) College, but was redshirted after suffering a shoulder injury. When he returned to start his second season, he found out he was not eligible because his financial aid papers were sent in a day late. He lost that season.

He then had just one season to show what he had and did so. He made a highlight reel and sent it to every Division I school in the country. He got a response from Hawaii but that was too far. He heard from Texas Tech, but the head coach resigned.

Then he got a call from West Virginia.

He had 35 receptions for 507 yards and 5 touchdowns, but he had three quarterbacks throwing to him, and the Mountaineers had a ton of injuries on their way to a 4-8 record.

Once again, White had just one more chance to prove himself.

In his senior season, White did just that. He had 109 receptions for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns. Once again, however, he was overlooked.

He faced questions about whether the season he had was just a one-hit wonder. Imagine going through everything he did and being called a one hit wonder!

Then White had an incredible NFL Combine and he opened eyes. He ran a 4.35 40-yard dash, and as big as he is (6-foot-3, 215 pounds), he became one of the fastest rising prospects at Indianapolis.

That showing at the Combine eventually led him to the seventh overall pick at the NFL Draft, and to the Chicago Bears.

In a conference call with reporters after the draft, White talked about having to work extra hard at football. “I’ve never had anything given to me, not even in high school or junior college,” White said. “Every time I got my opportunity, I made the most of it.”

White said the difficult times he had over the past five years helped his love of the game. “I matured,” he said. “I loved and cared for the game, and I was willing to work and do anything to play the game. That’s when my mind flipped, and I wanted to outwork everybody.”

Now he’s in Chicago, ready to become a star, and excited to play in Chicago. Bears general manager Ryan Pace is also excited having White in the Windy City.

“This is a big-play weapon for us,” Pace told reporters in Chicago on Thursday night. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to have him.

“I love the fire and energy he plays with,” Pace said. “… We’re really jacked up for this. He checked every box we were looking for.”

Hopefully, the combination of Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White gives the Bears another dynamic duo at wide receiver. The two, with speed and catching ability, should bring an excitement to the Bears offense that was missing last year.

Let’s see if they can jack up the win total as well.

Next: Chicago Bears never had the opportunity to draft a quarterback

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