Nikita Whitlock

Nikita Nehemiah Whitlock (born May 16, 1991) is a former American football defensive tackle/running back hybrid player. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2014. Whitlock has also been a member of the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants in the National Football League (NFL), the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League (CFL), and the Tampa Bay Vipers in the XFL. He played college football at Wake Forest.

Nikita Whitlock
No. 35, 47, 49
Position:Defensive tackle, running back
Personal information
Born: (1991-05-16) May 16, 1991
Wylie, Texas, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school:Wylie (TX)
College:Wake Forest
Undrafted:2014
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× Second-team All-ACC (2012, 2013)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:5
Sacks:1.0
Rushing yards:0
Receiving yards:0
Total touchdowns:0
Player stats at NFL.com · CFL.ca

Early years

Whitlock attended and played football at Wylie High School.[1] He was named the AP Texas Class 5A Defensive Player of the Year in 2008.[2] The Dallas Morning News named him the All-Area Defensive Player of the Year.[1] Whitlock's height made it difficult for him to get noticed by college recruiters.[3]

As a freshman, he was 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m), 175 pounds (79 kg). He grew to 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m), 240 pounds (110 kg) by his senior year.[3] His high school coach, Bill Howard, said, "If he was 6-foot-3, he'd be the No. 1 defensive lineman in the country".[3] Mesquite Horn coach Rodney Webb called Whitlock "the best defensive player he had seen at the high school level".[3] Whitlock set the school bench press record at 405 pounds (184 kg) as a senior.[3] Dallas Morning News sportswriter Matt Wixon called Whitlock "one of the most dominant high school linemen" he has ever seen.[4]

Whitlock had a standout high school career at Wylie High School, earning AP Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2008, after playing defensive tackle and linebacker.

He was offered scholarships to play football for SMU and Northwestern State, and also received interest from TCU and Utah State, before committing to Wake Forest.[3][5]

College career
External image
image icon Whitlock at Wake Forest tackling a player during a November 2012 game

Whitlock played college football at Wake Forest from 2009 to 2013. At Wake Forest, Whitlock played nose guard. Whitlock redshirted his freshman year in 2009, practicing as a linebacker.[5]

As a redshirt freshman, he was named second-team freshman All-American by College Football News and Rivals.com.[1] Phil Steele named him fourth team All-ACC in 2012, as well as second-team pre-season All-ACC in 2013.[1][6] He earned second-team All-ACC defensive honors in 2011 and 2012.[1] In 2013, he was on the Bednarik Award watchlist.[4]

College statistics

from Wakeforrestsports.com[1]

Year
Team
TT
Solo
Ast
TFL
Sack
PDef
INT
FF
FR
2010Wake Forest44202410½33020
2011Wake Forest642638143½1010
2012Wake Forest5127245½30000
2013Wake Forest8156251893010
CareerTotals2401291114818½7040

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
5 ft 10 in
(1.78 m)		 251 lb
(114 kg)		 4.82 s1.69 s2.81 s4.34 s6.91 s33 in
(0.84 m)		9 ft 0 in
(2.74 m)		43 reps
All values from his Pro Day[7]

Cincinnati Bengals
External image
image icon Nikita Whitlock catches a pass during warmups before a 2014 pre-season game with the Bengals

On May 12, 2014, Whitlock was signed as an undrafted free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals.[8][9] Upon signing with the Bengals, Whitlock was moved from defensive tackle to fullback.[9] At 5'10", 250 pounds (110 kg), Whitlock was considered too small to play defensive tackle at the NFL level.[10]

He was released by the Bengals on August 30, 2014.[11]

Dallas Cowboys

After being released by the Bengals, the Dallas Cowboys signed Whitlock to their practice squad on September 1, 2014.[12] He was then released on September 9.[13] The Cowboys re-signed Whitlock to the practice squad on September 16.[14] He was then released again on November 3.[15][16]

A week later, Whitlock worked out for the Baltimore Ravens but was not signed.[17] While a free agent, Whitlock was suspended by the NFL for four games on November 21; for violating the policy on performance-enhancing substances.[18]

New York Giants

On December 17, 2014, Whitlock was signed to the New York Giants practice squad.[19] He worked as both a fullback and a linebacker during practice.[20] On December 29, 2014, Whitlock signed a futures contract with the Giants.[21]

In the 2015 NFL season, Whitlock defeated incumbent Henry Hynoski for the fullback spot after surviving final cuts.[22] Whitlock won the roster spot by his special teams play, as well as being younger and less expensive than Hynoski.[23] In the final preseason game, Whitlock took snaps at both fullback and defensive tackle. He performed dual duty again during the Giants game against the Washington Redskins on September 24, 2015.[24][25] On December 23, 2015, Whitlock suffered a knee injury in the week 15 game against the Carolina Panthers, and was placed on season-ending injured reserve.[26] He finished the season playing 132 offensive plays, 61 defensive plays, and 276 special teams plays.[27]

On August 30, 2016, Whitlock was waived/injured by the Giants and placed on injured reserve.[28] On September 15, 2016, he was suspended for 10 games for violation of the NFL's PED policy.[29]

After spending the entire 2016 season on injured reserve, Whitlock was not offered a contract by the Giants, making him a free agent.[30]

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

On August 10, 2017, Whitlock was signed to the practice roster of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a defensive tackle.[31] He was promoted to the active roster on August 16, 2017.[32] Whitlock played in 11 games in 2017, making 15 tackles, 9 special teams tackles, and 3 sacks. In 2018, Whitlock's playing time increased to 17 games, but his production remained similar with 18 tackles, as well as 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 9 special teams tackles. Part of the plateau in defensive stats was due to a position change; during training camp in 2018, Whitlock was converted to running back in addition to defensive and special teams duties, becoming a rare player who took part in all 3 phases of the game. Despite some fumbling issues in a preseason game[33] Whitlock remained a reserve running back alongside Mercer Timmis and Sean Thomas Erlington while starter Alex Green was out with injury and recent addition John White IV was learning the Ti-Cats playbook on the practice roster. In limited touches early in the season, Whitlock recorded 6 runs for 38 yards, and three catches for 10 yards. Due to his versatility, Whitlock was signed to a two-year contract extension in February 2019.[34] However, Whitlock was one of several players released prior to 2019 training camp, including Green who, like Whitlock, had been recently extended.[35]

Tampa Bay Vipers

In October 2019, Whitlock was among the open-round selections by the Tampa Bay Vipers in the 2020 XFL Draft.[36] In the five games played prior to cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Whitlock had 19 tackles and a pass knockdown,[37] earning him recognition as one of the top defensive tackles in the XFL by Pro Football Focus.[38] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.[39]

Personal life

Whitlock is the son of Raymond and Genny Whitlock.[1] Whitlock was originally going to be named Sergio Nehemiah Whitlock, but his grandmother did not like the name. His father, who worked for Yellow Pages, opened up a phone book to a random page and put his finger down to select his name, ending up with Nikita.[40] Whitlock graduated from Wake Forest with a Health and Exercise Science major.[1]

On December 6, 2016, Whitlock's Moonachie, New Jersey home was subject to vandalism with racially charged graffiti. The perpetrator broke into his home, graffiti-ed several racial slurs and swastikas on his walls, and stole jewelry and electronics.[41]

Whitlock is an ambassador for Up2Us Sports, a national non-profit organization dedicated to supporting underserved youth by providing them with coaches trained in positive youth development.[42]

References
  1. "Nikita Whitlock Bio – The Official Site of Wake Forest Demon Deacon Athletics". wakeforestsports.com. Archived from the original on 8 September 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  2. Wilkinson takes all-state honors(subscription required) Archived 2016-02-25 at the Wayback Machine 31 January 2009. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Morris Communications
  3. Matt Baker (2 October 2008). "Wylie nose guard doesn't ask much, gives all he's got". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  4. Matt Wixon (19 September 2013). "Where are they now: Former Wylie star nose guard Nikita Whitlock, one of the best Texas high school football players ever". Dallas Morning News High School Sports Blog. Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  5. Scott Hamilton (28 March 2014). "Whitlock embraces new challenge". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  6. Steele, Phil, Phil Steele Pre-season All-ACC 2013 Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. 30 May 2013. Accessed 25 March 2016
  7. "Nikita Whitlock – Wake Forest, FB : 2014 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  8. Currie McFayden (12 May 2014). "Whitlock, Jackson and Thompson Sign Free Agent Deals". wakeforestsports.com. Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  9. Ed Valentine (25 July 2015). "Giants 90-man roster breakdown: FB Nikita Whitlock has made interesting switch". Big Blue View. SB Nation. Archived from the original on 28 August 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  10. Ed Valentine (28 August 2015). "Converted nose tackle Nikita Whitlock making himself noticed with Giants". Big Blue View. SB Nation. Archived from the original on 14 September 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  11. Josh Kirkendall (30 August 2014). "Bengals release Nikita Whitlock and Orson Charles". Cincy Jungle. SB Nation. Archived from the original on 8 September 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  12. Jason Marcum (1 September 2014). "Cowboys sign Nikita Whitlock to practice squad and waive Ahmad Dixon". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  13. "Cowboys Sign WR To Practice Squad, Release FB Whitlock". Dallas Cowboys. 9 September 2014. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  14. "Notes: Lawrence Not Focused On Target Date; FB Re-Signed". Dallas Cowboys. 16 September 2014. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  15. @dallascowboys (3 November 2014). "The team has released FB Nikita Whitlock from the practice squad and signed DE Lavar Edwards to the practice squad" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2015 – via Twitter.
  16. Schuyler Dixon (3 November 2014). "Romo first-class priority as Cowboys go to London". FOX Sports. Archived from the original on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  17. Aaron Wilson (12 November 2014). "Ravens sign tight end Konrad Reuland to practice squad". baltimoresun.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  18. Josh Kirkendall (22 November 2014). "Former Bengals and Cowboys FB Nikita Whitlock suspended for four games". Cincy Jungle. SB Nation. Archived from the original on 8 September 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  19. Jordan Raanan (17 December 2014). "Giants roster moves: Tight end Jerome Cunningham added to active roster, RB to practice squad". NJ.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  20. Fantasy not part of NY Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr.'s reality Archived 2015-08-22 at the Wayback Machine Samuel, Ebenezer. New York Daily News, 18 December 2014. Accessed 25 March 2016
  21. Ed Valentine (29 December 2014). "New York Giants sign 11 players to reserve/futures contracts". Big Blue View. SB Nation. Archived from the original on 1 January 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  22. Matt Wixon (10 September 2015). "Former Wylie star Nikita Whitlock, told he was too small to play major college football, is now a member of the New York Giants". dallasnews.com. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  23. James Kratch (7 September 2015). "Giants' fullback Nikita Whitlock ready to 'just try to crush everybody I can'". NJ.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  24. Traina, Patricia (26 September 2015). "Breaking Down the Play of Nikita Whitlock, New York Giants' 2-Way Threat". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  25. Kratch, James (25 September 2015). "Giants' Nikita Whitlock on playing defensive tackle: 'That's my dream'". NJ.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  26. Eisen, Michael (23 December 2015). "Two-way player Nikita Whitlock to IR; Brandon Meriweather signed". Giants.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  27. Ed Valentine (23 December 2015). "Giants' FB Nikita Whitlock headed to IR with knee injury, per report". Big Blue View. SB Nation. Archived from the original on 24 December 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  28. Eisen, Michael (August 30, 2016). "Giants announce first round of roster cuts". Giants.com. Archived from the original on August 23, 2017.
  29. "Nikita Whitlock suspended 10 games for violating NFL's performance-enhancing drugs policy". 15 September 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-09-17.
  30. Raanan, Jordan (February 15, 2017). "Giants make calls on some free agents, including re-signing tight end Will Tye". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017.
  31. "TIGER-CATS ADD DEFENSIVE TACKLE WHITLOCK TO PRACTICE ROSTER". ticats.ca. August 10, 2017. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  32. "CFL TRANSACTIONS". cfl.ca. Archived from the original on August 22, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  33. "Johnny Manziel puts up numbers in limited action in CFL debut". 2 June 2018.
  34. "Ticats extend contracts of Whitlock, Vaughn". 1 February 2019.
  35. "Why the Ticats released Justin Capicciotti and Alex Green | 3DownNation".
  36. Talbot, Damond (October 16, 2019). "XFL Draft Phase 5: The Final Rounds of the Draft, Find out who was selected". NFL Draft Diamonds. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  37. "XFL Live Stats".
  38. @XFL2023 (8 April 2020). "The grades are in. ⁣⁣Take a look at the highest-graded players of the season according to @PFF" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  39. Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  40. Tom Rock (7 September 2015). "The naming of Nikita Whitlock was a real page-turner". Newsday. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  41. CBS News, December 8, 2016, Vandals scrawl hate graffiti at home of New York Giants player Archived 2016-12-20 at the Wayback Machine
  42. "Nikita Whitlock of the New York Giants Joins Up2Us Sports as Ambassador". Up2Us Sports. February 2, 2015. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
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