by J.T. Toth
Photo courtesy of Houston Chronicle.
The NFL Draft talk never ends and we here at Draft 412 will keep you ready for the next set of gridiron stars. From today until draft night 2024 we will bring you mocks, profiles, team needs, and everything else related to the 2024 NFL Draft.
Today’s Spotlight -Texas, Wide Receiver, Jordan Whittington
Name- Jordan Whittington
Pos- WR
Team- Texas
HT/WT- 6’1” 204 lbs.
Born- N/A
Home – Cuero, TX
Whittington earned all-state honors as a wide receiver, defensive back and kick returner at Cuero High School. He was ranked the 35th best player in the country and the #4 overall athlete by 247Sports and was heavily recruited coming out of high school. In his last 3 seasons of high school, he produced over 3,000 yards receiving, 5400 all-purpose yards and 60 touchdowns. Whittington elected to stay close to home and committed to Texas.
He played in the season opener as a freshman but re-aggravated a groin injury from high school and missed the rest of the season, taking a redshirt. In 2020, as a redshirt freshman, he played in 5 games and made 2 starts. He was productive in his limited time, hauling in 21 passes for 206 yards and adding 1 rushing TD. In 2021, he was named starter but once again had injuries that cost him several games. Yet he set career highs in catches with 26, yards with 377 and 3 touchdowns.
Last season, Jordan Whittington finally put everything together and was able to stay healthy for the Longhorns. He became a favorite target of Quinn Ewers and caught 50 passes for 652 yards and 1 touchdown. So far this season, Whittington has started all 8 games, and has 24 receptions for 267 yards.
Whittington is a solid route runner who a quarterback can always count on to be in the right spot at the right time. Not only does he run crisp routes, he never quits when his route is covered, thus extending a lot of plays. He has quality hands and makes it a point to catch passes away from his body and not let the ball get into his pads. He does a good job of using head fakes to sell his routes and is difficult to mirror in coverage. Once he catches the ball, he becomes a tough runner with excellent open field moves.
On the downside, Whittington does not have top notch speed and will not be able to just run by defenders. He performs better in one-on-one situations and has issues finding holes in the zone. He is not the most physical receiver and can be thrown off his routes by press coverage or by aggressive defenders. Whittington does not add much on the outside as a blocker and to be an every down player in the NFL he will need to work on this. Injuries have popped off enough in his career that this will be also be a concern for NFL teams.
Khalil Shakur is a good pro comparison for Jordan Whittington. Neither have exceptional size or speed but run good routes and are reliable receivers. Shakur was a 5th round pick in 2022 by the Buffalo Bills and Draft 412 sees that as the ceiling for Whittington to get selected in 2023.
Strengths
Route Running
Extends plays
Runner after catch
Hands
Weaknesses
Speed
Blocking
Press
Balance/after catch
Final Analysis
Jordan Whittington has the potential to be a solid #3 or #4 receiver in the NFL. He has the skill set to allow him to be an accountable route runner that a quarterback will love.
Draft 412 Draft Prediction - 6th or 7th round