Jordan Whitehead

A three-year starter at Pitt, Whitehead was a mismatch weapon in Pat Narduzzi’s scheme, lining up primarily at strong safety, but also saw snaps at free safety and cornerback (mostly near the goal line). Pitt also used his athleticism on offense, showing the stamina to play a high volume of snaps. A premium athlete, Whitehead plays with the quick-twitch movements to stay hip-to-hip with receivers and the range to cover every inch of the field. His athletic profile and developing instincts belong in a NFL secondary, but his eye discipline and cover technique are both areas that require attention, often getting crossed up or allowing too much spacing in coverage on film. As a run defender, Whitehead shows the heart and toughness to play big boy football downhill, but his inconsistent technique dent his batting average as a tackler. BACKGROUND A four-star cornerback recruit out of high school, Jordan Whitehead was a do-everything star at Central Valley and helped lead his team to a 15-1 record and the state title game, rushing for 1,933 yards as a senior and scoring 35 total touchdowns and in five different ways (rushing, receiving, interception, kickoff, punt) – he also collected 97 tackles and seven interceptions as a cornerback and free safety on defense. Whitehead earned numerous player of the year awards and was considered the No. 1 recruit in the state of Pennsylvania in the 2015 recruiting cycle. Schools like Alabama and Notre Dame went after him hard, but he wished to stay closer to home, narrowing his choice to Ohio State, Penn State, West Virginia and Pittsburgh before ultimately choosing to follow in the footsteps of several Aliquippa football players (Tony Dorsett, Darrelle Revis, etc) to Pitt. Whitehead earned ACC defensive newcomer honors as a true freshman in 2015 with 109 tackles (school-record for a freshman), 6.0 tackles for loss, seven passes defended and one interception, also adding a pair of touchdowns on offense as a running back. He started the first nine games of 2016 before his sophomore season was cut short due to an injury, finishing with 65 tackles, three passes defended and one interception to earn All-ACC Second Team honors. Whitehead missed the first three games of his junior year due to a suspension and posted 60 tackles, five passes defended and one interception, earning All-ACC Honorable Mention honors. He was also suspended in July of 2017 for what coach Pat Narduzzi said were rules violations and a "highly disappointing situations. " Whitehead sat out the fist three games of the season.

in our view

Whitehead’s frame isn’t ideal and his character needs to be put under the microscope, but he has the athleticism and fearlessness that compare favorably to former Washington defensive back Budda Baker (36th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals) as a nickel cornerback in the NFL.

strengths

Sudden, quick-footed athlete. Smooth backpedal with cornerback movement skills. Loose hips in his transition to flip, redirect and close. Plus middle of the field range. Bursts through the catch point to disrupt. Plant-and-drive acceleration to fly like a missile. Comes to balance well vs. the run. Surges through the ballcarrier and hits bigger than his size suggests. Natural ball skills and body control to make diving plays on the ball. Tracks the eyes of the quarterback to float towards zones. Also played meaningful snaps offense at Pitt, averaging 8.7 yards per rush (43/378/3). Scored five touchdowns over his career – three rushing, one interception return and one fumble return. Athletic bloodlines – cousin of Darrelle Revis on his mother’s side. Versatile experience seeing snaps at free safety, strong safety and cornerback at Pitt. – Dane Brugler 1/6/2018

compares to

Budda Baker, Arizona Cardinals – Many doubted Baker as a prospect at this time last year because of his lack of size, but play speed, toughness and heart were off the charts, ultimately leading to a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie. Whitehead shows a lot of the same raw characteristics as Baker.

weaknesses

Undersized for the safety position. Undisciplined cover technique, prematurely flipping his hips and getting turned around by slot receivers. Eyes in the wrong place and late to recognize route combinations, leading to false steps. Doesn’t play comfortable with his back to the ball. Spotty backfield vision, overpursuing and missing developing lanes. Aggressive tackler, but uneven wrap-up technique leads to misses in the open-field. Lacks ideal body armor for the position, leading to health concerns – missed the final three games as a sophomore due to a gruesome right arm injury (Nov. 2016). Character and mental make-up require thorough homework after a three-game suspension to begin his junior year for an unspecified violation of team rules (Sept. 2017) – also benched for one game as a sophomore (Oct. 2016) for “reasons that are personal in nature” according to head coach Pat Narduzzi. Underwhelming ball production and his stats declined from his freshman season. – Dane Brugler 1/6/2018

Pennsylvania’s No. 1 overall prospect according to Rivals

one of the most highly recruited cornerbacks in the country

a playmaker on both sides of the ball for Central Valley, where he was a starter since his freshman year

was especially prolific as a senior

in his final season, totaled 35 touchdowns, scoring five different ways

scored TDs by rushing, receiving, interception return, kickoff return and punt return

average length of his TDs was 43.7 yards

rushed for 1,933 yards on 148 attempts (13.1 avg.)

had 24 receptions for 471 yards (19.6 avg.)

compiled 97 tackles and seven interceptions on defense

led Central Valley to a 15-1 record, the WPIAL Class AAA championship and the PIAA state title game. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Beaver County Times Player of the Year

selected All-State Class AAA by the Pennsylvania Sports Writers

Pennsylvania Football News first team All-Class AAA

Pennsylvania Football News Class AAA Defensive Player of the Year

named to the Pennsylvania Football News 2014 #TeamPA, which recognized the best players in the state regardless of school classification

recipient of the Pittsburgh Athletic Association Mercury Award, honoring the top high school football player in Western Pennsylvania

selected to play in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl

rated the nation’s No. 6 cornerback by Rivals, No. 11 by ESPN, No. 17 by Scout and No. 20 by 247Sports

named to the Rivals 100 (No. 75), Scout 300 (No. 128), ESPN 300 (No. 142) and Top247 (No. 163)

played under Coach Mark Lyons

also a track letterman.

Jordan Tyler Whitehead, born 3/18/97, is the son of Gregory and Antonia Whitehead

has one brother and one sister

enrolled in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences.

2017

rushing
YPC	TD	YDS	CAR	LONG
6.5	1.0	142.0	22.0	35.0

receiving
REC	YPR	TD	LONG	YDS
2.0	3.5	0.0	8.0	7.0

fumbles
REC	LOST	FUM
1.0	0.0	0.0

defensive
TFL	QB HUR	TOT	TD	PD	SACKS	SOLO
0.0	0.0	60.0	0.0	4.0	0.0	41.0

interceptions
TD	AVG	YDS	INT
0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0

2016

rushing
YPC	TD	YDS	CAR	LONG
10.9	0.0	98.0	9.0	28.0

fumbles
REC	LOST	FUM
1.0	0.0	0.0

defensive
TFL	QB HUR	TOT	TD	PD	SACKS	SOLO
1.5	0.0	65.0	1.0	2.0	0.0	46.0

interceptions
TD	AVG	YDS	INT
1.0	59.0	59.0	1.0

2015

rushing
YPC	TD	YDS	CAR	LONG
10.2	2.0	122.0	12.0	22.0

receiving
REC	YPR	TD	LONG	YDS
2.0	5.0	0.0	10.0	10.0

interceptions
TD	AVG	YDS	INT
0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0

puntReturns
AVG	NO	TD	LONG	YDS
-1.0	1.0	0.0	-1.0	-1.0