Arizona State's Herm Edwards: Buccaneers' Tom Brady 'Is Going To Be Happy' with Rachaad White

BucsGameday's exclusive conversation with Sun Devils head coach, Herm Edwards.

According to Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Herm Edwards, Captain America is going to appreciate the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selecting running back Rachaad White in the 2022 NFL Draft. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL Draft pick, Rachaad White (No. 3)

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Of course, that's the nickname Edwards gave to Bucs quarterback Tom Brady, and still to this day when the former NFL head coach thinks of the quarterback he's reminded of the leader of The Avengers. 

And even though our discussion centered on the running back from ASU about to get his NFL career underway, any conversation about Tampa Bay inevitably turns towards Brady at some point. 

"(Brady) is going to be happy, trust me. He's going to say, 'Boy this guy here, he's pretty good. I can throw him the ball and all of the sudden...he can make a couple people miss and he's running down the field.' Last time I checked, that's kind of important."

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, Tom Brady

Before we got to superhero comparisons though, I asked Edwards to enlighten me as to who the Buccaneers were getting in their newest running back. And the answer was a good one. 

"A very versatile player," Edwards told me. "Can run inside, has enough speed to make big plays once he can get outside on the perimeter, and very very talented player as far as catching the football out of the backfield. Has really great hands. So you're getting a complete football player."

But the compliments didn't stop there. 

The Sun Devils' head coach also praised White for his ability to protect the quarterback, picking up blitzes really well while providing strong route-running and top-shelf contact balance as a ball carrier. 

Sounds like a three-down back to me. Yet, NFL analysts had Day 3 grades on White, and many have criticized the pick because of it. 

Given Edwards' experiences as a head coach at the professional and collegiate levels, and an analyst for ESPN, he shared his thoughts on evaluation disparities and where he places his trust in the growing business that is pre-draft stacking of prospects. 

"That's what's great about America. Everybody's a fan...a coach...a scout...a broadcaster, but at the end of the day you go with the professionals that really do it for a living, that are in and out of the buildings that are watching the player," said Edwards. "I've always said this. The draft is always in the eye of the beholder...There's always a collection of maybe 50 players that if you threw them all up on the board you'd probably get it pretty close. But after that, it's really what are you looking for...for your team?"

Arizona State Sun Devils head coach, Herm Edwards

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Edwards continued by saying the purpose of the draft is putting players on a team that are there to serve a purpose, not fulfill what the media thinks about a player. 

It's a longer answer than I can reasonably quote here, but one that resonates. 

And Edwards believes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have acquired a player who fits what they need in 2022, as well as moving forward. 

A solid backup to starting running back, Leonard Fournette.

"He fits what (the Buccaneers) want to do," Edwards said. "They need a guy that can come out of the backfield, that can catch the ball, that when he gets on the perimeter he can make people miss, and you're going to get that in this guy. He's a good football player, and that's what you want to do. You want to get good football players."

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't have a lot of holes on their roster coming into the NFL Draft, but if Edwards is right about his back turned pro, then they filled a big one, regardless of what outsiders may say about when they did it.

Be sure to catch the whole conversation between me and Arizona State's Herm Edwards, exclusively on the Locked On Bucs Podcast!