This Raiders Defender Would Be Ideal "Gimme Him" Pick for Giants

If there is one player on the Las Vegas Raiders that the New York Giants could use this week without question, that would be middle linebacker Devin White.

The Giants’ run defense this season has been awful, and it hasn’t helped that Micah McFadden, who was lost in Week 1 for the season with a foot injury, has been missing.

McFadden was not perfect, but he ran to the football with the same aggression as fellow linebacker Bobby Okereke. Now it seems like Okereke is out there by himself at times.

The Giants are about to face a red-hot Ashton Jeanty, who ran 24 times for 128 yards and a touchdown last week against Houston (his second-highest total of the season). White would make all the sense in the world if the Giants could borrow him for the week.

White has been a tackling machine for the Raiders. They have needed him to be. He's having a career season in his first year in Las Vegas after many thought his career as a full-time starter was over when he was let go by Tampa Bay and did not stick in Houston last season.

In Tampa, he was the fifth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He had three consecutive seasons of over 120 tackles, including a 140-tackle sophomore campaign. He has realized his full potential in Vegas, recording 160 total tackles, including 88 solo stops.

Here are more reasons why White is such a plus as an asset on defense.

Strong Tackler

Dec 7, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Denver Broncos tight end Evan Engram (1) is tackled by Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Devin White (45) during the first half at Allegiant Stadium. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The key to White’s success has always been his speed, which he uses in many ways. He can chase down ball carriers and receivers anywhere on the field.

When backs try to bounce inside and run outside, he can get to them before they can turn upfield and gain yards.

His speed allows him to make up for bad steps and still reach the offensive player with the ball, bringing them to the ground. His speed allows him to bring more force to his tackles and really put a beating on backs.

Solid in Coverage

White uses his speed in coverage as well. It allows him to be a three-down linebacker. Because of his speed, he does not need to come off the field in sub-packages like nickel or dime packages.

In many cases, he operates as the sole linebacker on the field in those multiple corner sub-packages. He can cover tight ends on out-breaking routes or on those crossing routes designed to get defenders trailing or caught up in the traffic.

He can cover the backs out of the backfield on swing routes or wheel routes that push vertical. He can also carry any interior receiver vertically from alignment with his straight line speed.

A Very Good Blitzer

Another advantage White brings to the table is his ability to blitz the quarterback from the second level. He has excellent timing to hit the line of scrimmage full speed and fly by blockers.

He can also use his speed to close the gap quickly on delayed blitzes or post-snap blitzes. When the quarterback is flushed out of the pocket, he can be the secondary clean-up guy who chases the quarterback down before he tries to run for the first down.

That is also what makes him an excellent quarterback spy, and it would help when Geno Smith decides to break the pocket and run.

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Strong Tackler

Solid in Coverage

A Very Good Blitzer

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