The Sports Xchange

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — All during the offseason, there was increasing speculation that suggested new Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace wanted a quarterback other than Jay Cutler.

In the end, it seemed Pace not only had Cutler in mind all along, but he did on draft day as well as the Bears selected wide receiver Kevin White from West Virginia with the seventh pick in the first round on Thursday night.

“In my mind, we just got Jay another dynamic weapon,” Pace said. “That’s what I’m excited about (with) it.

“I hope right now he’s fired up because we just gave him another powerful weapon. With this receiving corps, this only adds to Jay’s ability to distribute the ball.”

The trade of Brandon Marshall opened an obvious hole for the Bears on the outside and White fills it with more speed than they had with the controversial veteran who was dealt to the New York Jets.

Eddie Royal figures to be the slot receiver and Marquess Wilson will battle for playing time, but White should be an immediate starter.

“This guy can play all over,” Pace said. “Really, I see him as an outside receiver, but what’s dangerous about this guy, he can catch a quick slant or he can attack and go 99 yards. He has that kind of play-making ability.

“You see it with wide-receiver screens and now-routes and things like that where you throw him a little short checkdown and he’s gone.”

White ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash and 2.54 20-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He could be the fastest Bears receiver since Willie Gault, and certainly since Curtis Conway.

White provides an ideal complement to their big outside receiver, Alshon Jeffery, even if skeptics see a player who is a bit of a project.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled now,” Pace said. “This guy’s dynamic. He’s big. He’s strong. He’s ultra-competitive.

“If I could stress one word for him, he’s competitive. You see it after the catch. You see it in the way he attacks the ball in the air. This is a dynamic player for our offense.”

At 6 feet 3, 215 pounds, White has ideal size, but there were those who suggested before the draft that he lacked the polish of Alabama’s Amari Cooper.

“When I hear that — and I did a lot of work on that — you think about a receiver when you hear the word ‘raw’ and you think maybe route quickness or those things,” Pace said. “At West Virginia, his route variety sometimes you question. I saw every route I needed to see from that player.”

Pace called the comeback route one of the most difficult for a young receiver but saw White accomplish it.

“You see it at his pro day, you see it at his workout,” Pace said. “If you watch enough film on him, you see all that.

“This guy is a special athlete. For his size, he’s big, he runs 4.3, he’s strong after the catch, and he’s a physical blocker. He really checks all the boxes you’re looking for in a receiver in our offense.”

With the Bears, he’ll line up on the left side. So it will be somewhat of a change, but it’s one he didn’t think would be difficult.

“With me being on the right side at West Virginia, I had to adapt to only being to the right side. I actually liked the left side,” he said. “I was always moved around in high school and at junior college. I had to adapt to basically being on one side. Coming to the Bears and getting moved around to the left or the right, I’ll be all right just because I’ve done it before. I’m excited and I’m ready to get going.”

Part of the concern about White’s inexperience or rough edges stem from playing junior college football at Lackawanna College one year before playing for West Virginia.

Some predraft critics saw White as a player who lacked downfield moves or great hands. Pace disagreed.

“The guy, first of all, after the catch is dynamic,” Pace said. “He’s got great hands, he’s strong, he’s big, he can run. He checks all the boxes.

“I don’t want expectations on him right now, but we’re thrilled about this and how (offensive coordinator) Adam Gase will integrate him into the offense. There are a lot of creative things we can do with him. I’m excited.”

In 2014 with West Virginia, White had 109 receptions for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns, but he was only a one-year impact player in college.

“Every time I’ve gotten an opportunity, I’ve made the most of it,” said White, who has been doubted at numerous points in his career. “I want to work, earn my stripes and help the team.”

White quickly dispelled the thought he could be the typical diva wide receiver.

“I’m not a flashy guy,” he said. “I buy my earrings from Claires.”