Rookie wide receiver Jordan Whittington wore many hats for the Rams this season. Whether he was playing receiver, kick returner, gunner or occasionally fullback, he brought the same fearless physicality each and every snap.
"He's a tough dude, he throws his body out there," said offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur on Jan. 2. "He's just getting more and more comfortable playing in this league. He's smart. He picks it up… He's made of the right stuff. His role likely will increase as he just gets more and more acclimated to this unit and in NFL football in general."
Whittington's relentless effort drove coaches to find ways for Whittington to be on the field. On offense, the sixth-round pick out of Texas was one of the most efficient rookie receivers in this year's class. He was also an impact player on special teams, whether he was tracking down returners or doing the returning.
As a former five-star running back recruit out of high school, Whittington said he learned much about "the detail side" of the receiver position from veteran Cooper Kupp.
"Just learning from Cooper (about) all the intentionality on the football field and the receiver position in general," Whittington said. "He taught me a lot, so just more about using your brain and thinking about everything, why you're running the routes, why you're diagnosing coverages and stuff like that. So I think just everything on the mental side, I grew a lot."
That progression showed up in his route efficiency, as Whittington ranked second among all rookie receivers with at least 10 targets in yards per route run (2.46), trailing only Ladd McConkey. Whittington didn't get ample opportunities on offense, finishing the year with 305 yards on just 124 routes (20th among 37 rookie wideouts), but he made those reps count.
201 of his yards came in Weeks 2-5 when Kupp and wide receiver Puka Nacua were injured. Then, in Week 18 when both rested, he totaled 86 yards on three catches, and his 50-yard reception against Seattle was tied for the fourth-longest offensive play of the Rams' season.
On special teams, Whittington was selected to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team after averaging 28.3 yards per kick return. His 453 total kickoff return yards ranked 13th in the NFL and first among rookies. His longest return was 43 yards, twice: One that set up Los Angeles' game-winning drive against the Saints in Week 13 and another against the Seahawks in Week 18.
He said that special teams has "been a priority" for him since high school, and it continued to be in his rookie season.
"I just knew how important (special teams) was and I knew that would be a role for me if I wanted to be on the field," Whittington said, "so I just tried my best to take advantage of the opportunities."
That effort paid dividends throughout the year, especially in the Rams' Week 16 win over the Jets at MetLife Stadium when he recovered a muffed punt to ice the game for Los Angeles.
"If I don't hit my best punt, I know (Whittington's) going to go do his job and get to the returner and tackle him," said punter Ethan Evans. "I know if we're doing short punts and it takes a not-so-favorable bounce, I know he's going to be down there to get it and make a sweet recovery or just down the punt. I know he's going to be out there and be the beast that he is."
During his first NFL offseason, Whittington said he will work on a variety of things, but wants to hone in on "the details when it comes to receiver position," furthering the knowledge he gained from Kupp.
Even between reps on the practice field, Whittington is always looking for ways to improve.
"Listening to every word he says (helps)," Whittington said of Kupp. "Even if i'm not talking to him, I'm listening to him talk to (quarterback) Matthew (Stafford), talk to (wide receiver) Puka (Nacua) so i'm just trying to be like a little fly, just flying around listening to everything, you can pick up a lot of stuff."
