Sean McVay on Jordan Whittington: 'He's a stud, he's mature beyond his years'

The NFL preseason is a great chance for teams to get their rookies some much needed game reps. And on Sunday evening, the Rams got to roll out their new rookie wideout, Jordan Whittington. He didn’t disappoint in his debut, making a number of impressive catches in the first half. He had two catches for 43 yards on the Rams opening drive.

One of them was this nice catch and run.

Rookie Jordan Whittington with the catch and run!

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In the first half, he finished with five catches for 67 yards, averaging 13.4 yards per catch. During the NFL Network broadcast of the game on Sunday evening, Rams head coach Sean McVay gushed about his rookie receiver.

“It’s just not too big for him. Two big catches. Right away on the end cut and then on the slant from the slot. So, he’s a stud. He’s mature beyond his years. We really like him,” McVay explained.

He finished the game with six catches for 74 total receiving yards.

Whittington was turning heads this offseason and drew plenty of praise from NFL insider Charles Robinson this summer.

More on Jordan Whittington and his career

He was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, taken with the No. 213 overall pick.

The Texas star shared the limelight with fellow NFL draftee Xavier Worthy, but he still impressed enough to hear his own name called in this year’s draft.

Whittington spent five seasons with the Longhorns, with three of them quite productive.

The veteran receiver finished his career with 123 catches for 1,586 yards and five touchdowns. He also had five carries for 46 yards.

Prior to enrolling at Texas, Jordan Whittington was a four-star prospect and the No. 38 overall prospect in the 2019 recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

He also checked in as the No. 8 wide receiver in his class and the No. 6 overall player in the state of Texas, hailing from Cuero (TX) Cuero.

What the NFL Draft analysts are saying about him

As the clear No. 3 in the Texas receiving corps last year, Whittington still showed what he can do. Frankly, it’s his veteran presence that makes him such a threat.

Whittington does a lot of the little things right, which impressed scouts.

Writes the NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein in evaluating Jordan Whittington:

“A big slot target with excellent toughness, Whittington lacks the explosiveness typically associated with competing in the league. His value comes with his consistency and willingness to do any dirty work necessary. He can be found making tough catches in traffic or getting after opponents as a run blocker.

“While he shows attention to detail as a route runner, he’s neither fast nor sudden, which is likely to force him into tight work cubicles against NFL coverages. Whittington’s intangibles work in his favor but making a roster will be a challenge.”

On3’s Thomas Goldkamp also contributed to this article.