Earlier this month, I stumbled across some comments Nick Saban made back in March about wide receiver DeAndrew White. In that same article, there were some comments from fellow Alabama receiver Amari Cooper.
Cooper agreed with Saban that White was underappreciated. He did not have anything particularly earth-shattering to say about White, throwing out plenty of the usual cliches and platitudes"
"He did tremendous today," fellow former Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper said. "Great athlete. Great route runner, and he's getting better. He's always getting better, and he always wants to work. He's driven, and he can go out and make plays."
Cooper overshadowed White, and most everybody else on the Alabama offense. Cooper finished the 2014 season with 124 receptions for 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns. Those numbers are filthy. White was the No. 2 receiver for the Crimson Tide, finishing with 40 receptions for 504 yards and four touchdowns.
There has been plenty of chatter about White since he joined the team at the offseason workout program. He has been a standout, but faces a touch competition at the wide receiver position. Anquan Boldin, Torrey Smith and Bruce Ellington all seem like roster locks, while Quinton Patton seems to be in strong position for a roster spot.
One big question is where Jerome Simpson will fit in. Matt Maiocco made a good point about Simpson in a recent chat. Maiocco said that if Simpson does not earn the No. 3 WR spot, he does not see the value of keeping Simpson on the roster given his lack of special teams contributions. Does White face a competition with Simpson for that fifth wide receiver spot, or could the 49ers roll with a sixth?