Tennessee Titans draft pick Josh Whyle overcame injury at Cincinnati. What else to know
The Tennessee Titans selected Cincinnati tight end Josh Whyle with the 147th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft Saturday.
Whyle is a 6-foot-7, 248-pound Cincinnati native, who made the All-AAC first team and played in the Senior Bowl.
Here are three things to know about Whyle:
Tennessee Vols wanted him
Whyle was a highly recruited 3-star 247Sports and Rivals prospect as a high school player at La Salle in Cincinnati.
He received more than 30 FBS scholarship offers including one from Tennessee. It should be noted the Vols coach at the time was Butch Jones, who had previously coached at the University of Cincinnati.
Whyle also had SEC offers from Georgia, Auburn and Kentucky.
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Injured in college
Whyle's college career got off to a slow start due to an injury. He suffered a broken collarbone and several other nagging injuries during his freshman season. The collarbone injury required surgery.
He played sparingly in four of the last five games, which allowed him to redshirt the 2018 season. He did not have any catches that season.
Whyle's career took off in 2020. He entered that season with two career catches for 51 yards and surpassed that in the season opener against Austin Peay with three receptions for 61 yards and his first touchdown. Whyle went on to lead the Bearcats with 353 receiving yards on 28 catches and six touchdowns.
He earned All-America third team honors in 2020 from Pro Football Focus and was named to the All-AAC second team.
Whyle finished his college career with 88 catches, 1,062 yards and 15 touchdowns. He made the All-AAC first team as a senior and played in the Senior Bowl.
Freakish numbers
Despite his size, Whyle is quick and nimble. He posted a 4.69 seconds in the 40-yard dash and a 17.4 mph on the GPS.
He has a 33.5 inches vertical leap and 10-3 1/2 broad jump.
He is also strong and not afraid to block when needed.
A concern is Whyle's route running, which could be sharper.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans draft pick Josh Whyle overcame injury at Cincinnati
