Donte Whitner

positives

Has good upper body muscle tone, lean waist, low body fat, good bubble and room on his frame to add more bulk...Strong runner with very good quickness, balance and acceleration...Has the burst to close and the foot speed to stay with receivers on long routes in man coverage...Has adequate strength and easily learns and retains plays... Does a good job of reading the flow of the play and has a good understanding of blocking schemes...Has the speed to play loose on the tight end, showing smooth backpedal action with fluid hip turn and flexibility...Explodes out of his breaks and has a good feel working in the zone, quickly making the switch-off due to fine anticipation skills...Gets a quick break on the ball and shows the body adjustments to redirect...His ball skills are evident by his ability to jump the receiver...Has the quickness to pursue and catch up with or without taking angles...Has soft, yet small hands, but compensates with good timing going up to compete for the ball at its high point...Explosive tackler who is effective in run force playing along the perimeter...Jolt-and-stun type of hitter who shows consistency making one-on-one tackles in the open field...Has a knack for shooting the gaps to disrupt action in the backfield.

whitner gets a good jump on the receiver to make the play. he is a very good leaper, but is sometimes stymied there because of his short arms. he is physical taking on the fullback to clog the rush lanes and is a solid enough wrap tackler to get even the big fullbacks down.

Whitner will bring immediate value on the special teams coverage units. He has a good understanding of blocking schemes and shows good urgency in attempts to finish the play. He shows good patience on the field and is not the type who will get out of control, but when he does, he has the loose hips, flexibility and acceleration to recover.

negatives

Has good upper body strength, but lacks bulk and the size needed to face up to blockers at the point of attack...Attacks the gaps with force, but can get washed out vs. double teams or ping-ponged by offensive guards and centers when they get their hands on him in tight quarters...Loses sight of the ball at times when working through trash and needs to use his hands better to push off blocks, turn and run...Has shorter than ideal arms, along with just adequate height, causing some problems competing for the jump ball vs. taller receivers...Has soft, yet very small hands trying to make the interception.

whitner is a smart, aggressive tackler who has the field awareness to make the quick switch-off working in the zone. while he has the speed to mirror receivers in man coverage, he is best suited to play the open field, where his speed and ability to take angles helps him shut down the outside rushing lane. he shows precision planting and driving out of his breaks and the lateral range to make plays in pursuit.

Whitner has the speed to roam the field, but needs to show more explosiveness to close. He can compensate with his recovery speed going long distances, however. He can turn and trail the receiver well and has the hand usage to reroute tight ends and backs working in the short area. The thing you see on film is his ability to cover in the flat and recover quickly enough to flash inside.

2004: Suffered a knee sprain vs. Indiana (10/23), undergoing arthroscopic surgery. Sat out the following game vs. Penn State, saw brief action vs. Michigan State and was again sidelined for the Purdue contest. 2006: Could not complete agility tests at the Combines due to a left hamstring strain.

Combine: 4.45 seconds in the 40-yard dash

2.61 20-yard dash

1.56 10-yard dash

Bench presses 225 pounds 18 times

40-inch vertical jump

11'0" broad jump

30 5/8-inch arm length

7 7/8-inch hands.

Did not participate in the shuttle run (hamstring strain)

Attended Glenville (Cleveland, Oh.) High School, where he was a teammate of fellow Ohio State players quarterback Troy Smith and receiver Ted Ginn, Jr

Considered one of the top defensive backs in the country

Rated the best overall prospect in the Midwest and the seventh-best in the nation by Prep Star and played in the U.S. Army Bowl over Christmas break of his senior campaign

Made 87 tackles and three interceptions as a junior

Posted 60 tackles, including ten stops for losses, three interceptions and four forced fumbles

On offense, he scored fourteen touchdowns as a junior and had nine scoring receptions as a senior

Finished his career with thirteen interceptions

Also excelled in the classroom, earning Honor Roll recognition.

Consumer Affairs major

Son of Lindsey Robinson and Deborah Whitner Robinson

Born 7/24/85

Resides in Cleveland, Ohio.