Rachaad White’s path to legitimate NFL prospect status is a winding one of perseverance.
He was deemed a three-star recruit (per 247Sports), collecting more than 2,000 all-purpose yards as a high school senior. He committed to UCLA before de-committing later.
White’s college prospects looked bleak at that point before he landed at Nebraska-Kearney. His stay there was short-lived, as he was there only for a redshirt year before transferring to Mt. San Antonio Junior College. White racked up 199 rushing attempts there, turning them into 1,264 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, with 25 receptions and 216 receiving yards. After that season, he was the 50th-ranked JUCO player in the country and the fifth-best running back (per 247Sports). This led to another jump to a higher level of competition at Arizona State.
After playing in a four-way committee in 2020, which led to only 50 touches (10.0 Yards per Carry) and 571 total yards, White was given the keys to the backfield for 2021. He ran the rock 182 times last season, churning out 1,006 rushing yards (5.5 Yards per Carry) with 16 total touchdowns. White’s calling card and the first thing you hear discussed is his receiving prowess. White concluded his collegiate career with an 18.9% target share (98th percentile). He secured 43 of his 48 targets for 456 receiving yards. He was second on the team in receptions and receiving yards in 2021.
Rachaad White’s path to legitimate NFL prospect status is a winding one of perseverance.
He was deemed a three-star recruit (per 247Sports), collecting more than 2,000 all-purpose yards as a high school senior. He committed to UCLA before de-committing later.
White’s college prospects looked bleak at that point before he landed at Nebraska-Kearney. His stay there was short-lived, as he was there only for a redshirt year before transferring to Mt. San Antonio Junior College. White racked up 199 rushing attempts there, turning them into 1,264 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, with 25 receptions and 216 receiving yards. After that season, he was the 50th-ranked JUCO player in the country and the fifth-best running back (per 247Sports). This led to another jump to a higher level of competition at Arizona State.
After playing in a four-way committee in 2020, which led to only 50 touches (10.0 Yards per Carry) and 571 total yards, White was given the keys to the backfield for 2021. He ran the rock 182 times last season, churning out 1,006 rushing yards (5.5 Yards per Carry) with 16 total touchdowns. White’s calling card and the first thing you hear discussed is his receiving prowess. White concluded his collegiate career with an 18.9% target share (98th percentile). He secured 43 of his 48 targets for 456 receiving yards. He was second on the team in receptions and receiving yards in 2021.
White followed up this stat-stuffed season with a productive and surprising combine performance. He ran a 4.48 40-yard dash (82nd percentile), and jumped 38 inches in the vertical (86th percentile) and 125 inches in the broad (87th percentile). These testing tallies left him with an 84th percentile speed score and 87th percentile burst score (per PlayerProfiler.com). Despite these measurables and an impressive final season, he is currently staring down possible fifth-round draft capital (137 expected draft position per Grindingthemocks.com).
Rachaad White Draft Profile
| Position |
RB |
| School |
Arizona State |
| Height |
6-0 |
| Weight |
214 |
| 40-yard dash |
4.48 |
| Age |
23 |
| Class |
Sr. |
| Recruit stars* |
3 |
| Draft prediction |
Fifth round |
* Recruit stars via 247Sports
Rachaad White College Statistics
| Year |
Games |
Rushing attempts |
Rushing yards |
Targets |
Receptions |
Receiving yards |
Total touchdowns |
| 2020 |
4 |
42 |
420 |
8 |
8 |
151 |
6 |
| 2021 |
11 |
182 |
1,000 |
48 |
43 |
456 |
16 |
Rachaad White Dynasty Fantasy Analysis
White has a three-down back size, and that’s the role he functioned in this past season. He was the engine for the Arizona State offense. As a rusher, he possesses average burst on film with build-up speed. This is reflected in his testing.
While his 40 time was in the 82nd percentile, his 10-yard split (1.59) was in the 52nd percentile (per Mockdraftable.com). He does have enough speed to get to the corner on zone concept runs. He’s at peak performance, though, when he quickly gets downhill, which led to 38.2% of his rushing attempts coming on gap runs (per PFF) last year.
| Among FBS running backs with 100 or more rushing attempts (*Statistics via PFF*): |
| Year |
Yards after contact per attempt (rank) |
Breakaway percentage (rank) |
| 2020* |
4.17 |
60.7% |
| 2021 |
3.38 (63rd of 170) |
31.2% (105th of 170) |
*42 carries
White’s upright running style can be a problem when defenders make contact with him in the backfield or near the line of scrimmage. White can be tripped up by shoestring and arm tackles at this stage of his career. His 3.38 Yards After Contact is good, but it’s a far cry from elite. Once he’s past the line of scrimmage, White consistently displays good vision and footwork in traffic. His tight hips do limit his change-of-direction ability, making him a more linear runner. He looks lumbering at times despite his plus combine performance. This limits his capability to create yards on his own.
He’ll deploy spin moves and jump cuts in the open field to shed would-be tacklers. White finishes runs well, with the leg drive necessary to intermittently pick up a few extra yards. As evidenced by his 31.2% breakaway percentage, he wasn’t a home run threat in college and will be a chunk runner in the NFL.
White’s most redeeming quality is his receiving chops. In 2021, he finished ninth in yards per route run with 2.25 (per PFF, minimum 20 targets). Arizona State moved him around the formation, with 15.8% of his career snaps coming in the slot or lined up out wide. He was third last year in missed tackles forced on receptions (16) and was tied with Breece Hall with 0.320 missed tackles forced per reception. His soft hands combined with plus pass-blocking skills should give him a role in the NFL. He allowed only one sack and three pressures on 310 pass-blocking snaps (per PFF) at Arizona State.
If White’s draft capital ends up in the late fourth round or the fifth or sixth round, he’ll have to excel on passing downs to carve out a role early on. He has the requisite skill set to operate as a three-down back, but his running style and tackle-breaking limitations could cap his upside unless he’s a target machine.
Player Comp
Charles Sims 2.0
Charles Sims is a one-to-one comparison with nearly identical size and speed metrics. Sims was also celebrated for his receiving skills, which led to 1.64 Yards per Route Run in his four-year Buccaneers career. But his rushing limitations (3.9 Yards per Carry, 27.2% breakaway rate) per PFF capped his upside.
Landing Spot and Dynasty Outlook
Rachaad White lands on a team with one of the best offenses in the NFL for as long as Tom Brady laces up his cleats. White’s all-purpose skill set, size, and athleticism make him a possible three-down back heir to Leonard Fournette’s throne. The biggest issue for White is that Fournette just inked a new three-year deal with the Bucs. The team can cut Fournette and move on with a little over three million in cap savings in 2023. The downside of Fournette playing out the life of the contract is a possibility that would be terrible for White. This would soak up 75% of a rookie deal for a back that enters the league at the age of 23. White is a dice roll worth taking after the top wide receivers are off the board near the top of the second round in all dynasty formats.
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Derek Brown is a fantasy analyst at FantasyPros. For more from Derek, check out his archive and follow him @dbro_ffb.
