Whitehead chooses to leave Pitt early, heads for NFL draft
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Jordan Whitehead flashed his vibrant grin and confirmed that, yes, Pitt’s standout junior safety gets asked aboutthe NFL draft a lot.
“Definitely,” Whitehead said, with a smile. “I just haven’treally thought about it.”
That was almost exactly three weeks ago, and now, Whitehead has made his decision. He’s off to the pros, hoping to become the next in a long line of Western Pennsylvania defensive backs to makeit big.
Whitehead, a former Central Valley High School star, declared for the 2018 draft Monday morning via Twitter, the second Pitt star to forgo his senior season in as many weeks, though his announcement was much less surprising than receiver Quadree Henderson’s seven days earlier.
With a sterling reputation that dates to his freshman year, and a 5-foot-11, 195pound physique that looks chiseled from stone, one has to figure Whitehead has long had his eyes on the NFL prize despite his bromides leading up to the season finale againstMiami.
“After much thought and discussion with my family, I have decided to begin preparing for the next step in my career and enter the 2018 NFL Draft,” Whitehead posted Monday. “It has been an honor and a privilege to play for this university, Coach [Pat] Narduzzi, and this coaching staff for the past three years. I would like to thank them for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime, but feel I am ready to take the next step in achieving my dreams.”
As a four-star prospect coming out of the WPIAL, Whitehead was considered more of a cornerback, but the athleticism he flashed in championship moments made it clear he could play just about anywhere. His ascension to an impact player at the college level was quick, earning ACC defensive rookie of the year and freshman All-American honors his first season, then getting a second-team AllACC nod as a sophomore despite an injury-shortened campaign.
Whitehead also played running back at times in his three years, even looking like Pitt’s best offensive weapon more than once when the Panthers struggled to run the ball this past season.
Joe Butler, who runs his Metro Index scouting service out of Pittsburgh and has been in the industry for 41 years, first saw Whitehead as a sophomore in high school, where he shared the field with current Alabama wideoutRobert Foster.
“Then, his body started to evolve, and his talent rose as he matured,” Butler said. “Hedidn’t stay stationary. He just kept getting better and better.”
In terms of Whitehead’s draft prospects, as with Henderson and many other nonseniors, there inevitably will be questions about whether he should’ve stayed another year. Butler said that’s a difficult call to make, but, then again, it’s never a bad sign when Adam Schefter has you onhis radar.
One of ESPN’s most prominent insiders called Whitehead “one of the top underclassmen safeties” in a tweet, which lines up with CBS Sports mock draft projections that tab Whitehead as a mid-to-late first-round pick.
“He’s got a lot of athletic talent and football knowledge, so he’s a guy that could position himself in the draft,” Butler said. “His measurables are gonna be of value, and he’s gonna run well. He’s gonna test well. His athletic abilities, they’re gonna like, so somebody’s gonna find themselves a really good player.”
Whitehead finished with 234 tackles and three touchdowns on 8.3 yards per carry in 31 games in his college career, which wasn’t always a smooth one. There was his cryptic one-game absence in 2016 that Narduzzi offered little explanation for, as well as his three-game suspension to start this year for an undisclosed violation of team policy.
Looking ahead, Pitt’s secondary should have the depthto soften the blow of losing Whitehead. Central Catholic products Damar Hamlin and Bricen Garner started games at safety, as did veteran Dennis Briggs, while Phil Campbell came on strong late in the season as a redshirt freshman and Paris Ford will be coming off a redshirtyear of his own.
DT commits to Pitt
Ithad been a while, but Pitt football has reopened its recruiting floodgates just like it closed them in August — by addinga defensive lineman.
Three-star defensive tackle Tyler Bentley, of Lakota West High School in West Chester, Ohio, committed to the Panthers with a tweet Monday. Bentley visited campus the first weekend in December and saw Louisville this past weekend, but Pitt beat out the Cardinals as well as a slew of other big-name schools. In fact, in the spring, Bentley claimed scholarship offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Florida, among others.
He verbally committed to Kentucky in early August but re-opened his recruitment earlier this month. Bentley is listed at 6 feet 3, 295 pounds,but even with him on the line, Lakota West struggled to a 2-8 record.