Film Analysis:
Jordan Whittington enters the 2024 NFL Draft as a player with a lot of experience, playing in more than 41 career games at Texas. During his career at Texas, Whittington aligned at all receiver positions and even played running back, showcasing to be a true definition of a team player. A former 5-star recruit, Whittington was one of the glue guys that helped Texas establish the culture that resulted in their first CFP appearance.
Although Whittington aligned all over the field, his best usage will be in the slot running routes but also doing things like jet-motion handoffs and bubble screens. Running routes, Whittington is a tempo route-runner who stems defensive backs and wins the leverage battle rather than relying on winning with speed. Whittington is a high-IQ player and usually reads leverage the same way as the quarterback on option routes, making himself a reliable target in the middle of the field for the quarterback. Whittington's IQ is also on display during quarterback scrambles, as he understands how to uncover while also getting into the quarterback's vision. Using him in jet-motion action and bubble screens gets the ball in Whittington's hands quickly so he can activate his run-after-the-catch ability.
Whittington has a sturdy, strong lower half that helps in how he can break tackles and pick up extra yardage after the catch. Whittington's reps playing running back also shows how he lowers his pads to embrace contact and fight for extra yardage.
The limitations to Whittington's game appear to be with his speed. As an outside receiver running vertical routes, Whittington does not create separation and most targets are contested by the defender. The speed limitation also appears in run-after-the-catch situations. Wittington can pick up yardage in chunks, but looking at the design of the pay, it appears that if there was more top-end speed it could have resulted in a bigger, more explosive play.
Prospect Projection: Day 3 — Role Specific Contributor
Written By: Keith Sanchez
