One of the most decorated players in franchise history will be inducted into the Ring of Honor on Sunday when the Falcons host the Carolina Panthers.

Roddy White will be the 11th player inducted and when asked how to describe his emotions heading into the weekend, White used one word.

"Special."

It's not as common in this day in age that a star player gets to play his entire career in one place. Oftentimes good players will play a majority of their career with one team but the final few years could be with multiple teams.

That wasn't the case for White and that's what makes his Ring of Honor induction such a meaningful moment for the organization and for White.

"It's difficult to do … to have a run that long, [it] was special for me," White said.

The Falcons drafted White with the No. 27th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. When White arrived in Atlanta, he knew exactly the legacy he wanted to leave.

"When they drafted me, I told Rich McKay, I'm going to come in and be the best receiver the Falcons had to that point," White said.

It was anything but an easy start for White, though.

White struggled mightily in his first two seasons as a Falcon. He caught 29 passes on 69 targets in 2005 and 30 passes on 65 targets in 2006. His career took after those two woeful years.

From 2007-2015, White started almost every game of his career. White retired as the Falcons' all-time leading receiver in franchise history.

A four-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro, White finished his impressive career with 808 catches for 10,863 yards and 63 touchdowns.

"I didn't imagine when this thing started that it would be so good," White said.

For White, success wasn't solely measured by the statistics he put up each week. Mentoring his younger teammates and being a leader was something especially important to White.

"My whole time here I wanted to make sure not only [was I] just looking out for me, [but] looking out for everybody within the franchise who was going to be here after me," White said. "Being able to be around Julio and show him everything I knew and give it to him. And to watch them have success after I leave, it's pretty special. It's like all my hard work is still being carried on and still being processed on the field. It's good stuff."

To this day, Jones credits White for teaching him how to be a professional.

Looking back on his career, White is most proud of the consistency he played with and the energy he brought to the locker room. His legacy speaks for itself and for him to now be inducted into the Ring of Honor with people he's admired for a long time, it's a surreal feeling.

"For me to even in be in that category with those guys, it's amazing," White said. "It just speaks to the volume of the work and everything that you put in each and every day. Everything you give to this game, it's special."