Prospect Bio

Zamir White was on the radar going all the way back to his high school days at Scotland High in Laurinburg, North Carolina. It was there he rushed for 2,086 yards and 34 touchdowns in 11 games as a senior. That earned him a spot as one of five finalists for USA Today’s National Offensive Player of the Year award. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to finish the season after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee in the second round of the playoffs. White was also a mainstay on the Lauringburg track and field team. Among the 2018 recruiting class, White was a five-star prospect and was ranked as the No. 1 running back in the country, the No. 9 player in the nation, and the top player in North Carolina (247). Unsurprisingly, it seemed like all the big schools were after him. He received offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Ohio State, Florida, LSU, Florida State, Oklahoma, Penn State, and Miami, among others. He chose Georgia where he was forced to redshirt his freshman season after suffering another ACL injury, this time to his left knee in the 2018 preseason. 

White was back in 2019 when he played in 13-of-14 games and was third on the team with 408 rushing yards on 78 carries. In 10 games in 2020, White was Georgia’s leading rusher with 779 yards and 11 touchdowns on 144 carries.  White again led the Bulldogs in rushing in 2021, despite sharing time with fellow 2022 classmate James Cook. White carried 160 times for 856 yards and 11 scores. While he was a solid runner over his career, he was rarely utilized as a pass-catcher. He had just 17 receptions in three seasons and never had more than nine in a single season.

College Stats

Zamir White College Stats Courtesy of sports-reference

Positives

+Size

+114.2 (95th-percentile) Speed Score (PlayerProfiler)

+121.0 (64th-percentile) Burst Score (PlayerProfiler)

+Vision

Negatives

-2 ACL tears

-17 receptions in three years

-2.9% target share (12th-percentile—PlayerProfiler)

-3.4% reception share 

-17.4% touchdown share

-0.98 yards per team play 

Highlight Reel

Comparable Player: TBD

NFL Draft Projection: Fourth Round

Yards Per-Formance Grade: 59.4

Bottom Line:

Zamir White has been a big riser since his impressive performance at the NFL Combine. He tested with excellent size-adjusted speed and burst. When we factor that into his incredible recruiting profile, and solid rushing production over the last two seasons, suddenly White is one of the more intriguing prospects at his position. The concerns come in the passing game. White was barely utilized as a receiver with just 17 career receptions and a target share below 3-percent in 2021. Still, he has the juice to become a two-down workhorse at the NFL level. If draft capital goes in his favor, White will be a sneaky-good second round pick in dynasty rookie drafts.

Post Draft Analysis:

It was a bit of a surprise to see Zamir White fall to Day 3, but it wasn’t long into the fourth round before he heard his name called. At initial thought, it’s disappointing considering the presence of Josh Jacobs securely atop the depth chart in Las Vegas. But, the Raiders opted not to pick up Jacobs’ fifth-year option meaning he will be an unrestricted free agent in 2023. Perhaps the plan is to let White play the backup role as a rookie and then hand him the keys to the backfield in his second season. He fits the mold of some of the more successful running backs from Josh McDaniels’ time with the Patriots.

Resources: DLF, PlayerProfiler, PFN, PFF, TDN

Yards Per-Formance Prospect Grade