‘It was too much about him’: NFL GM admits he would’ve never drafted former LSU Tigers star who flamed out as first-round bust
Former LSU star linebacker Devin White has one of the more interesting and debated NFL careers in recent years. The fifth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft entered the league with rare production in the SEC and an athletic profile that gave analytics personnel a wet dream. Coaches saw the vision with his upside […]
Former LSU star linebacker Devin White has one of the more interesting and debated NFL careers in recent years. The fifth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft entered the league with rare production in the SEC and an athletic profile that gave analytics personnel a wet dream. Coaches saw the vision with his upside and ability to be a three-down demon, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers paired him with franchise legend Lavonte David.
Despite White producing 566 tackles, 23 sacks, and six forced fumbles in five years with the Buccaneers, the team didn’t welcome the dynamic linebacker back as he hit free agency after 2023. He had just turned 26, but settled for a one-year deal with the Houston Texans.
An injury-stricken 2024 season limited him to seven games, where he had just 19 tackles and zero impact plays. It was a far cry from the former Pro Bowler and Second-Team All-Pro member from earlier in his career. And shocking considering he had 286 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and was an all-around menace at LSU.
This week, the general manager who drafted him, current Buccaneers head man Jason Licht, pulled the curtain back on what happened with White. Licht said he missed on who White is as a person, and he regrets drafting him despite the good raw numbers. Here’s what The Athletic shared from Licht.
“Licht believes he was fooled in 2019 when he chose linebacker Devin White in the first round. White was a starter for the better part of five years for the Bucs but eventually was let go. He’s with his third team since.”
“Knowing what I know now, he would have been off my board,” Licht says. “It was too much about him.”
Licht later said missing on drafting White and signing Desean Jackson led him to review the franchise’s best players. Guys like Mike Alstott, John Lynch, Warren Sapp, and Ronde Barber made their teammates better. White never did, he claims, and he wasn’t accountable.
While those are strong words that directly attack White’s mindset, his reputation preceded him in free agency, and his opinion was supported by PFF grades. White’s overall grades were pitiful until 2024, and he only graded above average in tackling twice and pass-rushing four times. The raw stats overshadowed someone who roamed too often for stats.
He settled for a one-year deal with Las Vegas this offseason but is projected to be a starter under Pete Carroll. While he’s only 27, the clock is ticking on White to rekindle the spark he created at LSU.
