What Does Success Look Like for Jordan Whittington in 2025?

Jordan Whittington was drafted in the sixth round of last year's draft by the Los Angeles Rams, and after showing promise to be one of the biggest steals of the draft, had a mediocre year given those expectations.

When removing any expectations and looking at his rookie year objectively, it went as could be expected for a sixth-round pick on a team that's looking to compete. He got the majority of his reps in special teams, and while that doesn't look to change much in 2025, what does success look like for him next season?

His situation differs from that of Blake Corum, as they are both backups, but Whittington has more ground to make up in order for the Rams to consistently look his way as a receiving option. In his time with the Texas Longhorns, it wasn't as if he was one of their most dominant receivers, but he did get at least a couple of targets his way each game.

From weeks two to five, Whittington saw the most time on offense, and that coincides with when Puka Nacua got injured early in the season. After that, he wouldn't see playing time until the last two weeks of the season, where he had a combined four receptions for 92 yards.

The bulk of his production came in a loss against the Green Bay Packers, where he was targeted ten times and hauled in seven catches for 89 yards, his biggest gain going for 31 yards. When looking at the game, the biggest things that stood out were those targets that he didn't haul in.

All of them were on deep throws that were meant to be chunk plays, while all of his successful yardage came from the middle of the field or just across the line of scrimmage. Sean McVay used his strengths to the fullest as he was used in screen passes as well as a receiving back out of the backfield.

The Rams have plenty of receiving options in 2025, but I think Whittington can separate himself from the rest by being a dynamic piece on their offense. He only carried the ball twice in 2024, but perhaps increased reps at running back are needed for him to have a more defined role in this offense.

He excels at pushing off defensive backs, and that makes it so out-routes are effective with him, as well as running slant routes. While 2025 looks to be more of the same for Whittington, success for him looks like a willingness to play at any position they need him to play and continue to work the middle of the field to be a security blanket of sorts to Matthew Stafford.