round 6, pick 213… Rams take WR Jordan Whittington

Gleaned from the highlights fwiw: effort guy, with good open field vision for running the ball after the catch. Special teamer who could be on every STs unit, blocking for returns and making tackles in coverage.

from https://theathletic.com/live-blogs/nfl-draft-2024-rounds-4-7-order-picks-trades-grades/TSEmTpKuGVE1/GIHdJK5AbneA/

A two-year starter at Texas, Whittington was primarily an inside receiver in head coach Steve Sarkisian’s spread, RPO offense (82.2 percent slot in 2023). A former five-star recruit, his Longhorns career didn’t go as planned — primarily because of injuries — but he contributed when on the field and was a team captain as one of the more respected “program” guys on campus. Whittington is well-built, strong and athletic with a good-sized catch radius and competitive balance with the ball in his hands. But he didn’t consistently create for himself as a route runner and never felt like a big-play threat on tape (caught a touchdown once every 28.2 receptions at Texas). Overall, Whittington’s college career was one of perseverance, and although it will take more than that to carve out an NFL career, his dependable and athletic skill set will speak to pro coaches. He projects as a back-end roster receiver with inside-outside ability and special-teams upside.

Instant Analysis: Why Jordan Whittington could be the steal of the draft for the Rams

Brock Vierra

https://sports.yahoo.com/instant-analysis-why-jordan-whittington-222308663.html#:~:text=A%20near%20Rhodes%20scholar%2Dlevel,be%20such%20a%20consistent%20player.

Despite all the hype behind Xavier Worthy and AD Mitchell entering the NFL draft, it is without a doubt that the most consistent pass catcher for the Texas Longhorns over Steve Sarkisian’s tenure has been Jordan Whittington.

At No. 213 overall in the sixth round, the Rams selected Whittington, and it could be the steal of the draft for them.

Whittington, a 6-foot-1 wide receiver from Cuero, Texas is no stranger to adversity. During his five years at Texas, he played for two different head coaches, and while opportunities were sparse due to the immense talent surrounding him including seven offensive skill players being selected in the past two drafts, Whittington has consistently answered when called upon.

Whittington doesn’t have off-the-charts athletic talent, causing him to slide in the draft but he possesses something better. A near Rhodes scholar-level football IQ. Whittington throughout his entire career has put together film of him finding pockets in coverages, cutting routes short, and creating separation based on pre-snap reads that has allowed him to be such a consistent player.

Whittington also has sure hands and the awareness to reroute himself when the pocket collapses on his quarterback. He is a QB’s best friend and despite getting thrown the ball by Casey Thompson, Hudson Card, Quinn Ewers and Malik Murphy, his numbers though not mindblowing, have remained steady.

This is the exact type of receiver that thrives in a Sean McVay offense and with Cooper Kupp getting older, there’s a high possibility that Whittington could see the field early and often. I’m not saying he’s going to put up Puka Nacua numbers but the man has the ability to mess around and have a 1000-yard season.

I’m calling my shot. Jordan Whittington is the steal of the draft.

Zooey wrote:

zn wrote:

General manager Les Snead, whose stepson is a long snapper at Texas (Whittington’s alma mater), gushed about the receiver and said everybody in the building referred to him as the Longhorns’ “heartbeat.”

I take that pretty seriously, and that’s encouraging insight. And…on another note, I look at the CB depth chart, and it occurs to me that the Rams must like the look of that. Also encouraging. Because there were guys they could have drafted, but didn’t. Their safeties are suddenly looking pretty damn good with the additions of Curl and Kinchens, and their versatility is important. If they get competent work from Williams and White, any growth Durant and Kendrick show will be bonus.

Whittington strikes me as being a great pick. Not for his WR skills alone–he’s not fast and he’s not quick though he does break tackles at a high rate and has what looks to be excellent open field vision on runs after the catch. A 3rd or 4th WR type who doesn’t challenge the defense on his own but makes clutch plays when he’s out there with other WRs drawing the attention. Kind of what everyone thought Proehl was (though truth is Proehl was actually a very good receiver in his own right.)

But beyond all that, everything you hear about him indicates 2 things that are of value.

* He’s a poster-child of team culture intangibles. Leadership and positivity everywhere. Not just on the team–he reportedly became the team’s representative figure for the entire campus. Pretty much everyone who assessed him talked about his high football IQ. It’s as if he is a future coach who already knows how to “build culture.”

* He has all the signs of being a special teams ace. On every unit. He can do returns; he’s known for his blocking; he’s famously ready and willing to do whatever dirty work that needs to be done; and he seems to be heady, physical, and aggressive when he needs to tackle someone. So he would potentially shine in pretty much every single special teams unit that can use someone of his body type–including a blocker on the LOS for on punts and kicks, a blocker downfield for returns on punts and kickoffs, and a gunner type making tackles in coverage on both punts and kickoffs.