Connor Orr Says James White is Patriots' Most Underrated Player

Connor Orr of SI.com has been rolling out his most underrated players from each team in the NFL. When it came to the New England Patriots, he felt the most underrated player for them was a pass-catching running back that has been incredibly reliable throughout his career. His name is James White.

Here is what Orr said about White:

If Bill Belichick had his way, there would be no singular person we think of when we talk about the Patriots and everyone would be on the list. But I singled out White because of the myriad things he does well. He’s a great receiver (76% catch rate on nearly 100 targets in 2019) and can function adequately in the slot or out wide. He’s an essential satellite player for the Patriots to utilize in order to diagnose defenses. He plays almost all of his snaps on passing downs (meaning that his presence often serves as a clue to opposing defenses) yet New England still manages to gain nearly 5.5 yards per play on passing downs where he is on the field. He is also a good pass and run blocker, which was exceptionally important for a Patriots team that featured a largely immoble 40-plus-year-old quarterback under center last year.

Not only is James White one of the most producing pass-catching running backs of the Brady/Belichick era -- second to only Kevin Faulk -- he is also one of the best receiving backs in the NFL. In 2019, White recorded his second-highest catch total (72) and receiving yards total (645) in a single season in his career. His receiving yards total was third best in the league last season, and his catch total was sixth best.

Even with those types of stats, White is not a household name outside of New England despite his tremendous impact during the regular and postseason over the years. But that doesn't matter.

Here's a quote from Tom Brady back in 2018 that says all you need to know about James White's value to the Patriots.

“I don’t think you could ask any more of a teammate than what James (White) provides us and the trust that everyone has in him,” Brady said. “I mean, I feel like he never makes a mistake, and it’s pretty amazing to have that.”