Former UNLV Rebels Wide Receiver Ricky White III Plays In Second NFL Preseason Game With Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks played the late game this Friday on the opening night of Week 2 of the NFL Preseason Week 2. This was former UNLV Rebels wide receiver Ricky White III's second shot at getting on an NFL field and showing off his skill set both on offense as a receiver and on special teams. His special teams acumen is well documented. In 2024, he was named the Mountain West Conference Special Teams Player of the Year in his final year with the Rebels. While he is a capable wide receiver, specifically out of the slot, his bread and butter is his ability on special teams. That's what h e is banking on to make the Seahawks' 53-man roster.

The Seahawks are now 1 - 0 - 1 in the preseason after blowing out the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 33 - 16 on Friday night. White III once again saw plenty of offensive snaps in the second half of the game and the vast majority of the snaps in the fourth quarter. When on the field, he looked like he belonged. The seventh-round pick played his snaps with fellow rookie Jalen Milroe. The young duo looked pretty good together for the second week in a row.

The Good

First, this was a way better week of practice at training camp for White III, so the feelings surrounding him felt much better than the negativity surrounding him coming into Preseason Week 1 on a week that he missed time with an injury. We once again saw him get playing time and look good. He was able to create separation and caught a 20-yard pass on a third-down play from Milroe on his only target of the game. The two have been building chemistry in training camp, and it showed on their big connection. This was a solid showing for the rookie wideout who continues to fight for an ope ning-day roster spot. Also, he has done enough to earn a nickname for the 12th man in Seattle. They are now calling RW3.

The Bad

We would still like to see him get more targets and opportunities. Hopefully, the Seahawks' coaching staff feels he's worth taking a long look at in the team's final preseason game and getting him more involved in the game plan. It could go a long way towards helping him make the team or at least drawing the attention of one of the other 31 teams in the league. Also, we would love to see him make a big play on special teams. It's something that he did with regularity at UNLV, and it would infinitely increase his value in the NFL if he can prove that's in his skill set on this level.

With two preseason games now in the books for Seattle, White III will have one more chance to show the Seahawks' coaching staff exactly what he brings to the table both on offense and special teams. Another strong week of practice could earn him more much-needed reps in next week's game. We are much more optimistic about his future in both Seattle and the NFL than we were about a week ago.