NFL Draft

PFF 2019 Mock Draft 3.0: Steelers Select LSU LB Devin White 20th Overall

By Dave Bryan

Posted on January 15, 2019 at 5:38 pm

With the 2018 NFL season now its final stages we’re sure to start seeing an increase in mock drafts. On Tuesday, in fact, Pro Football Focus released their latest prediction of the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft and it’s their first offering since the 2018 regular season ended.

In the last mock draft by Steve Palazzolo of PFF, he has the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting LSU linebacker Devin White in the first-round with the 20th overall pick. Palazzolo writes:

The fit is excellent here as White adds much-needed speed to the middle of the Steelers defense. He took great strides last season, improving from a 2017 grade of 73.2 to a 90.0 overall in 2018.

White, who declared for the 2019 NFL Draft as an underclassmen on Monday, is probably a player we’re going to see mocked to the Steelers quite a bit over the course of the next several months and for obvious reasons. White, an off-the-ball inside linebacker, plays a position of need for the Steelers and one that many wished they would have addressed early during last year’s draft. White not only flourished in the SEC, but he’ll turn just 21 years of age in February.

In his three seasons at LSU, White played in 38 games on his way to registering 286 total tackles, one interception, 4 forced fumbles and 9 pass breakups. He had 8.5 total sacks and 29 of his tackles went for losses.

Not only was White voted LSU’s 2018 MVP, the Charles McClendon Award, in December, he was also voted a consensus All-American choice in 2018 and the season’s Butkus Award winner. Not surprisingly, White was a team captain this past season.

Our own Josh Carney recently profiled White for the site and a link ti that post is below. Additionally, below is a large selection of plays that White made during his three years at LSU and they include his interception, sacks, passes defensed and forced fumbles.

White will certainly be a potential first-round player worth watching at this year’s scouting combine and already there are some who believe that he’ll ultimately be selected in the top 15 overall picks. Get used to seeing and hearing his name and him being linked to the Steelers.