NFL Draft
3/10/25
5 min read
Ricky White III 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For UNLV Rebels WR
Height: 6004 (verified)
Weight: 179lbs (verified)
Year: Fifth-Year Junior
Pro Comparison: TBD
Scouting Overview
UNLV Rebels wide receiver Ricky White projects as a depth receiver and special teams contributor at the NFL level. White’s been a demon as a specialist throughout the course of his career, boasting four blocked punts to go with nearly 180 special teams snaps across his last two seasons with the Rebels.
That, plus a strong level of production despite a modest athletic profile, gives White a long-term value with a short-term value proposition for an NFL team. If he’s to make an NFL roster as a rookie, it will likely be on the back of his work in punt and kick return units.
2025 NFL Combine Results
| Position | Name | School | 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Split | Broad Jump | Vertical Jump | 3-Cone Drill | 20-Yard Shuttle | Bench Press |
| WR | Ricky White III | UNLV | 4.61 | 1.55 | 123 | 36 |
Positives
- Offers the kind of special teams resume that a late-round receiver needs to offer value in Year 1
- Two years of strong production and alignment versatility to play in the slot and the perimeter
- Was surprisingly slippery with the ball in his hands this year to force missed tackles — logged as many forced missed tackles this year as the prior two seasons combined
Negatives
- Lean frame will create challenges against physical, aggressive defensive backs who can match his release
- Career drop rate floats around 10 percent
- Appears to be a smooth mover with one gear and lack of initial quickness or burst
Background
White is from Dayton, OH, and played high school football for Marietta HS in Marietta, GA. White was a 3-star recruit (247 Sports) who received offers from schools like App State, Bowling Green, and others before ultimately committing to Michigan State as a member of their 2020 recruiting class.
White played in three games as a true freshman for the Spartans during the 2020 COVID-19 season, retaining his eligibility. He set an MSU freshman record for receiving yards in a game with 196 yards against Michigan. White would not appear in any games for the Spartans in 2021 and then entered the transfer portal.
He landed with UNLV and was named First Team All-Mountain West in both 2023 and 2024 — plus the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year in 2024. White posted consecutive 1,000-yard seasons for the Rebels to close his career and accepted an invitation to the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl to culminate his college career.
Tale Of The Tape
White is a smooth operator who has carved out a productive role in the UNLV offense during the past two seasons. He’s smooth running in breaking patterns and winning into the middle of the field, showcasing good concentration and savvy in congested areas to frequently find space to receive the football.
As a route runner, you wish there was more of an explosive element to his game. As a result, he needs to be a supreme technician and route salesman to win against NFL defenders. He is not, however. White lacks the physicality to play with the strength, burst, and twitch required to be a sudden separator in the passing game. It leaves him as a weapon that would likely struggle against man coverage consistently at the pro level.
That, in addition to his success rate at the catch point when congested or needing hand strength to squeeze the football through contact, leaves him seemingly capped as a pass catcher.
Fortunately for White, he does offer secondary value to a roster and could potentially find his way onto gameday rosters, thanks to his special teams prowess. White blocked four punts in 2024 and only really started collecting opportunities in this phase of the game in 2023.
The upside and potential here as a specialist is enticing and paints a totally different picture for him as a prospect. He’s not quite as big as Matthew Slater was — but that’s a career trajectory he could aspire to, thanks to his work on kickoff and punt return units.
If White can further develop his route running, he may grow into opportunities in this regard. He’s currently more of a zone space taker than a man-beater in the passing game who lacks the tools to build a more dynamic passing threat.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
White projects as a depth player and special teamer at the pro level. His lack of explosive physical qualities and power in his game threaten to inhibit his ceiling as a pass catcher.
However, he’s a playmaker with and without the football and offers a robust special teams resume to help be a valid option as a WR4 or WR5.
Grade: 69.00/100.00, Sixth Round Value
Big Board Rank: TBD
Position Rank: TBD
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