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By Dave-Te' Thomas,
NFL Scouting Services

DION JORDAN
Defensive End/Outside Linebacker
University of Oregon
Ducks
#96
6:06.2-248
Chandler, Arizona
Chandler High School

OVERVIEW

There is no question that Jordan is one of the finest athletes in the 2013 NFL Draft class. What is the question is – where will an NFL team want him to play. Some compare his athleticism to former Tennessee standout Jevon Kearse and feel that his explosion and ability to slip past offensive tackles is ideally suited for the rush end position. If he remains on the front wall, he has room on his frame to carry another ten pounds of bulk without the additional weight impacting his impressive timed speed.

Others look at his exceptional lateral agility and developing pass coverage skills, as he appears very fluid coming out of his backpedal, as the perfect tools needed to play the “Terrell Suggs” role as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defensive alignment. Much like Suggs, he has a tall, linear frame with good overall muscle tone, a tight abdomen (six-pack), and good thickness in his thighs and calves.

Wherever a team assigns Jordan to play, they can be assured he will excel. Moving and adapting to different positions is nothing new for the All-American athlete. He was actually recruited to play tight end for the Ducks. It was not until late in his red-shirt freshman year that the Oregon coaching staff decided to move him to the defensive side of the ball. He spent one season as a reserve strong-side defensive end before earning a starting job on the weak-side his last two seasons.

The Pac-12 Conference features some of the biggest and most physical offensive line-men who take pride in their ability to neutralize smaller defenders. Few were able to contain Jordan, whose burst off the snap resulted in him registering tackles behind the line of scrimmage on 27 plays during the last two years as a starter. Fourteen of those stops resulted in the Ducks defender taking down the opposing quarterback.

Jordan demonstrates outstanding explosion coming off the snap and gets most of his backside success due to his quickness, as he will generally surprise a lethargic offensive tackle. He shows a good feel for blocking pressure and is quick to digest the playbook. He does not get fooled by play action or misdirection, as he has allowed just one first down on running plays during his senior season. His field awareness allows him to play with good discipline and he remains focused throughout.

As a down lineman, Jordan lacks the bulk to combat offensive tackles on a regular basis and must compensate with his quick hands and feet in attempts to escape. The bigger blockers have not had much success executing reach blocks on him, thanks to his quick cross face and spin moves and he is very effective at using his long arms and hand jolt to split double team activity.

When isolated on the edge or playing off the line, Jordan is a solid wrap-up tackler who hits with a thud. He is much better playing on the move than when working in-line, making him a better fit as a strong-side linebacker in a 3-4 alignment than by keeping his hand down on the ground. Still, he works hard when taking on the offensive tackle and uses his hands well, playing with good leverage.

Jordan is an athletic runner with the savvy to avoid trash and while there are times he might get stuck on the bigger people up front, he uses his hands effectively to keep separation. This is one of his better assets, as he constantly keeps his hands active in attempts to shed and play off the blocks. He has the hand punch to shock and push back the lead blocker when trying to clog the rush lanes and while he is a solid wrap-up tackler, once he grabs a receiver in pass coverage, he locks on and does a good job of rerouting his opponent.

Speed is his best rush move, but Jordan has great hand placement to slip out and avoid blocks on the move. He comes off the edge with a sudden burst and when asked to shoot the gaps, blockers are often surprised by his explosion through the holes. The thing you see on film since his junior year is that he combines his suddenness with efficient inside counter moves to pressure the pocket. He has also developed swim and rip moves working inside, but is better at getting to the quarterback when playing off the edge.

Prior to joining the University of Oregon football program, Jordan attended Chandler High School, where the Arizona product played both tight end and defensive end. Even as a sophomore, recruiters were taking notice of a player who displayed soft hands and crisp route-running skills needed to excel as a receiver, in addition to good speed and athleticism after the catch. As a junior, he caught 54 passes for 804 yards and thirteen touchdowns.

Jordan was much more than a pass catcher, as he worked hard to bulk up and utilized his talents to enhance his blocking skills, leading the team with fifteen touchdown-resulting blocks in 2006. During his senior campaign, he posted five sacks and 55 tackles on the defensive line and snared thirteen passes for 292 yards and three scores in six games before his season was cut short when he suffered third degree burns and needed skin grafts on his left leg after a freak accident where he and his friends were attempting to siphon gasoline from a car with a vacuum.

Despite his injuries, Jordan received a four-star prospect rating and was ranked as the tenth-best tight end in the country by Scout.com. That recruiting service also regarded him as the fourth-best prospect on their Arizona Top 85 squad. He was one of just seven tight ends featured on the Tacoma News Tribune’s Western 100 elite ledger.

The Prep Star All-American and first-team All-Region and All-State choice also excelled on special teams, where he blocked two kicks and forced two fumbles while returning one 59 yards vs. Ironwood High during his senior season. That year, he also posted fifteen tackles vs. Yuma and thirteen more vs. Chavez.

After a month-long stay in the hospital to recover from his third degree burns, Jordan enrolled at the University of Oregon as a 215-pound tight end. The coaches decided to red-shirt him that first season, and he returned for the 2009 campaign having added fifteen pounds of muscle to his frame. He appeared in just six games as a third string tight end and did not catch any passes, recording two tackles on special teams before practicing with the defensive unit later in the year.

Jordan was permanently moved to the defensive line in 2010. He played most of the year behind Terrell Turner at right defensive end before earning his first career start vs. UCLA. He posted 33 tackles with two sacks and 5.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage. His performance in limited action would not only earn him a new role in 2011, but saw the staff create a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker position that allowed him to perform as both a stand-up pass rusher and dropping back in pass coverage while also moving him around to find favorable matchups.

Jordan blossomed in his new role, as he demonstrated surprising fluidity for such a tall player. He would go on to earn All-Pac 12 Conference honors after recording thirteen of his 42 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. He produced 7.5 sacks, ranking fifth in the league in that category and posted multiple tackles-for-loss in four contests.

Jordan battled with right shoulder issues as a senior, eventually undergoing labrum surgery shortly after his outstanding performance at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine. The injury would sideline him vs. California, but in twelve contests, he was credited with 44 tackles, five sacks and 10.5 stops-for-loss. He also caused three fumbles.

Invited to play in the 2013 Senior Bowl, Jordan declined, citing that he needed to rest his injured shoulder and train for the Combine. In Indianapolis, he put on quite a show in front of NFL decision makers. He “blazed” through the 40-yard dash at 4.6 seconds, best among the defensive linemen in attendance. His 7.02 time in the three-cone drill and 10’2” broad jump were both third-best in the group.

Jordan underwent surgery to repair his right labrum tear shortly after returning home from Indianapolis. Doctors told NFL teams that the timetable for the surgery rehabilitation is “three to four months,” according to Jordan, which would put him on track to be healthy for training camp in the summer. He played through the injury for the second half of the season after getting hurt in late October vs. Colorado while attempting to make a tackle.

Teams are confident that once he fully recovers, Jordan might be more suited to switch to outside linebacker at the pro level to better take advantage of his athleticism and ability to rush the passer and drop back in pass coverage. The player agrees that scheme best fits his athleticism. “The whole thing is getting after the quarterback so the pass rush is my No. 1 thing with my athleticism,” Jordan said.

CAREER NOTES

Jordan started 25-of-45 games at Oregon, as he recorded 121 tackles (48 solos) with 14.5 sacks for minus 96 yards, 29.0 stops for losses of 144 yards and four quarterback pressures…Also caused four fumbles and deflected a pair of passes.

2012 SEASON

An All-American Dream Team selection by The NFL Draft Report, Jordan also received All-Pac 12 Conference first-team honors from the league’s coaches…Despite playing on the defensive front wall as a hybrid outside linebacker/rush end, he was named a finalist for the coveted Butkus Award, given to the nation’s top linebacker…Also a member of the watch lists for the Bednarik Award (defense), Lombardi Award (lineman), Bronko Nagurski Trophy (defense) and Ted Hendricks Award (defensive end)…Suffered a right shoulder labrum tear vs. Colorado, missing the California contest, but started twelve games, as he recorded 44 tackles (26 solos), five sacks for minus 23 yards, 10.5 stops for losses of 40 yards and a quarterback pressure…Also caused three fumbles and deflected a pass as part of a unit that limited opponents to an average of 21.62 points per game, ranking 25th in the nation…Recorded a pair of solo tackles in the win at Oregon State and made six hits, including two tackles for a five-yard loss in loss vs. Stanford…Credited with three tackles, including a stop for an eight-yard loss and forced a fumble at Southern California…Added a trio of tackles and assisted on a stop-for-loss in a win over Colorado…Made five solo tackles, including two sacks for a seven-yard loss in a 43-21 victory at Arizona State. With more than a handful of scouts in attendance, Jordan showcased his versatility to line up on the line of scrimmage as a stand-up defensive end, in the box as a linebacker and in the slot, covering inside receivers, a spot usually reserved for defensive backs, vs. the Sun Devils…Posted two tackles, including one for a one-yard loss, forced a fumble and was credited with a quarterback hurry in win vs. Washington…Recorded four tackles, including a sack for an eight-yard loss in a 51-26 victory over Washington State…Forced a fumble, had one pass breakup and made four tackles vs. Arizona …Made a big impact in the win, recording five tackles with two stops for a nine-yard loss, including a 7-yard sack vs. Tennessee Tech…Recorded eight tackles and one sack for a one-yard loss vs. Fresno State.

2011 SEASON

Jordan received All-Pac 12 Conference honors from the league’s coaches and Phil Steele in his first full season as a starter…The defensive end recorded 42 tackles (25 solos) over fourteen games and twelve starts, as he led the Ducks and tied for fifth in the Pac-12 with thirteen stops for losses of 77 yards, pacing the squad with 7.5 sacks for minus 57 yards, in addition to causing a fumble and registering a pressure…Made two stops vs. Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl…Had one sack for a seven-yard loss in a 49-31 victory over UCLA in the Pac-12 Championship Game…Added three tackles, including a career-high two sacks for a loss of 18 yards vs. Oregon State and had 1.5 sacks for a 10-yard loss to go along with five tackles at Washington…Delivered a season-high seven tackles, including six solo stops and a sack for a 4-yard loss vs. Washington State…Had his first career forced fumble to go along with one quarterback hurry and three solo tackles, including stop for a 7-yard loss in the Arizona State clash…Was in on six tackles and two stops for a total loss of eight yards vs. California…Recorded five tackles, 1.5 sacks for a 15-yard loss and added another stop for a 1-yard loss at Arizona.

2010 SEASON

Jordan switched from tight end to defensive end during the spring and was the top reserve on the defensive line and key special teams performer, starting one game, vs. UCLA, at right defensive end…Recorded 33 tackles (21 solos) with two sacks for minus 16 yards and 5.5 stops for losses totaling 27 yards…Added two pressures and deflected one pass…Had four solo tackles, including one for a 2-yard loss vs. Auburn in the BCS National Championship Game…Scored his first collegiate points on a two-point PAT rush at California and posted four tackles, including a sack for a 9-yard loss vs. Washington… Started at defensive end, making three tackles vs. UCLA…Recorded first sack as a Duck vs. Arizona State…Had a pair of tackles and was credited with a quarterback hurry vs. Portland State…Posted three stops, including two solo tackles at Tennessee…Made an impressive defensive debut, recording a team-high five tackles and a stop for a loss of six yards vs. New Mexico.

2009 SEASON

The reserve tight end stepped onto the field for a season-high 20 snaps vs. Washington State but proved to be a bigger factor as the season wore on playing special teams…Made appearances in three of the final four games of the year, including seven plays in the Rose Bowl vs. Ohio State…Finished the year with both of his tackles vs. Arizona State.

2008 SEASON

Jordan red-shirted as a freshman, performing on the scout team.

INJURY REPORT

2007 Season…In high school, Jordan suffered third degree burns and needed skin grafts on his left leg after a freak accident where he and his friends were attempting to siphon gasoline from a car with a vacuum. He spent a month in the hospital recovering.

2012 Season…Suffered a right labrum tear vs. Colorado (10/27) that forced him to miss the next game vs. Southern California…Underwent shoulder surgery on the torn labrum after the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine in early March, and is expected to be out three-to-four months.

AGILITY TESTS

4.60 in the 40-yard dash…1.58 10-yard dash…2.57 20-yard dash…4.35 20-yard shuttle…

7.02 three-cone drill…32 ½-inch vertical jump…10’2” broad jump…Bench pressed 225 pounds 22 times…33 7/8-inch arm length…10-inch hands…80-inch wingspan…On campus, Jordan a career-best 4.08-second 20-yard shuttle and a 7.23-second three-cone drill.

HIGH SCHOOL

Jordan attended Chandler (Az.) High School, playing for head coach Jim Ewan…Played both tight end and defensive end…As a junior, he caught 54 passes for 804 yards and thirteen touchdowns…During his senior campaign, he posted five sacks and 55 tackles on the defensive line and snared thirteen passes for 292 yards and three scores in six games before his season was cut short when he suffered third degree burns in a freak accident… Despite his injuries, Jordan received a four-star prospect rating and was ranked as the tenth-best tight end in the country by Scout.com…That recruiting service also regarded him as the fourth-best prospect on their Arizona Top 85 squad…One of just seven tight ends featured on the Tacoma News Tribune’s Western 100 elite ledger…The Prep Star All-American and first-team All-Region and All-State choice also excelled on special teams, where he blocked two kicks and forced two fumbles while returning one 59 yards vs. Ironwood High during his senior season…That year, he also posted fifteen tackles vs. Yuma and thirteen more vs. Chavez.

PERSONAL

Sociology major…Son of Sherrita Jordan…Born 3/05/90…Resides in Chandler, Arizona.

PLAYER STATISTICS

DEFENSIVE STATISTICS

STATS

GP

GS

TK

SO

AS

FR

FC

INT

TFL

PBU

SACK

PRES

2009

06

00

002

01

01

00

00

0-0

00.0-00

00

00.0-00

00

2010

13

01

033

21

12

00

00

0-0

05.5-27

01

02.0-16

02

2011

14

12

042

25

17

00

01

0-0

13.0-77

00

07.5-57

01

2012

12

12

044

26

18

00

03

0-0

10.5-40

01

05.0-23

01

TOTAL

45

25

121

48

73

00

04

0-0

29.0-144

02

14.5-96

04


JORDAN GAME BY GAME LOG

2012 Season

Date

Opponent

Score

Played

Off
R/P

Pts

Tackles

Sacks

PBU

FC

Pres

 

Att

Made


Ast

Solo

Asst
Loss

Solo
Loss

Loss
Yds

Ast

Solo

Yards




Arkansas St.

09/01/12

Arkansas St.

57-34

Yes

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Fresno St.

09/08/12

Fresno St.

42-25

Yes

0

0

0

3

5

0

1

1

0

1

1

0

0

0

Tennessee Tech

09/15/12

TTU

63-14

Yes

0

0

0

2

3

0

2

9

0

1

7

0

0

0

Arizona

09/22/12

Arizona

49-0

Yes

0

0

0

2

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

1

0

Washington St.

09/29/12

WSU

51-26

Yes

0

0

0

1

3

0

1

8

0

1

8

0

0

0

Washington

10/06/12

Washington

52-21

Yes

0

0

0

1

1

0

1

1

0

0

0

0

1

1

Arizona St.

10/18/12

at Arizona St.

43-21

Yes

0

0

0

0

5

0

2

7

0

2

7

0

0

0

Colorado

10/27/12

Colorado

70-14

Yes

0

0

0

4

0

1

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

USC

11/03/12

at USC

62-51

Yes

0

0

0

2

1

0

1

8

0

0

0

0

1

0

California

11/10/12

at California

59-17

No

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Stanford

11/17/12

Stanford

14-17

Yes

0

0

0

3

3

2

1

5

0

0

0

0

0

0

Oregon St.

11/24/12

at Oregon St.

48-24

Yes

0

0

0

0

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Kansas St.

01/03/13

Kansas St.

35-17

Yes

1

1

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Season Totals

1

1

2

18

26

3

9

40

0

5

23

1

3

1


2011 Season

Date

Opponent

Score

Played

Off
R/P

Pts

Tackles

Sacks

PBU

FC

Pres

 

Att

Made


Ast

Solo

Asst
Loss

Solo
Loss

Loss
Yds

Ast

Solo

Yards




LSU

09/03/11

LSU

27-40

Yes

0

0

0

3

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Nevada

09/10/11

Nevada

69-20

Yes

1

0

0

1

2

0

1

4

0

0

0

0

0

0

Missouri St.

09/17/11

Missouri St.

56-7

Yes

0

0

0

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Arizona

09/24/11

at Arizona

56-31

Yes

0

0

0

2

3

1

2

16

1

1

15

0

0

0

California

10/06/11

California

43-15

Yes

0

0

0

3

3

0

2

8

0

0

0

0

0

0

Arizona St.

10/15/11

Arizona St.

41-27

Yes

0

0

0

0

3

0

1

7

0

0

0

0

1

1

Colorado

10/22/11

at Colorado

45-2

Yes

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Washington St.

10/29/11

WSU

43-28

Yes

0

0

0

1

6

0

1

4

0

1

4

0

0

0

Washington

11/05/11

at Washington

34-17

Yes

0

0

0

2

3

1

1

10

1

1

10

0

0

0

Stanford

11/12/11

at Stanford

53-30

Yes

0

0

0

2

0

1

0

3

1

0

3

0

0

0

USC

11/19/11

USC

35-38

Yes

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Oregon St.

11/26/11

Oregon St.

49-21

Yes

0

0

0

1

2

0

2

18

0

2

18

0

0

0

UCLA

12/02/11

UCLA

49-31

Yes

0

0

0

0

1

0

1

7

0

1

7

0

0

0

Wisconsin

01/02/12

Wisconsin

45-38

Yes

0

0

0

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Season Totals

1

0

0

17

25

4

11

77

3

6

57

0

1

1


2010 Season

Date

Opponent

Score

Played

Off
R/P

Pts

Tackles

Sacks

PBU

FC

Pres

 

Att

Made


Ast

Solo

Asst
Loss

Solo
Loss

Loss
Yds

Ast

Solo

Yards




New Mexico

09/04/10

New Mexico

72-0

Yes

0

0

0

3

2

1

0

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

Tennessee

09/11/10

at Tennessee

48-13

Yes

0

0

0

1

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Portland St.

09/18/10

Portland St.

69-0

Yes

0

0

0

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

Arizona St.

09/25/10

at Arizona St.

42-31

Yes

0

0

0

1

1

0

1

7

0

1

7

0

0

0

Stanford

10/02/10

Stanford

52-31

Yes

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Washington St.

10/09/10

at WSU

43-23

Yes

1

1

2

0

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

UCLA

10/21/10

UCLA

60-13

Yes

0

0

0

0

3

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

USC

10/30/10

at USC

53-32

Yes

0

0

0

0

2

0

1

6

0

0

0

0

0

0

Washington

11/06/10

Washington

53-16

Yes

0

0

0

2

2

0

1

9

0

1

9

0

0

0

California

11/13/10

at California

15-13

Yes

1

1

2

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Arizona

11/26/10

Arizona

48-29

Yes

0

0

0

1

1

0

1

1

0

0

0

1

0

1

Oregon St.

12/04/10

at Oregon St.

37-20

Yes

0

0

0

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Auburn

01/10/11

Auburn

19-22

Yes

0

0

0

0

4

0

1

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

Season Totals

2

2

4

12

21

1

5

27

0

2

16

1

0

2


2009 Season

Date

Opponent

Score

Played

Tackles

Sacks

PBU

FC

Pres

 

Ast

Solo

Asst
Loss

Solo
Loss

Loss
Yds

Ast

Solo

Yards




Boise St.

09/03/09

at Boise St.

8-19

No

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Purdue

09/12/09

Purdue

38-36

No

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Utah

09/19/09

Utah

31-24

No

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

California

09/26/09

California

42-3

Yes

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Washington St.

10/03/09

Washington St.

52-6

Yes

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

UCLA

10/10/09

at UCLA

24-10

No

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Washington

10/24/09

at Washington

43-19

Yes

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

USC

10/31/09

USC

47-20

No

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Stanford

11/07/09

at Stanford

42-51

No

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Arizona St.

11/14/09

Arizona St.

44-21

Yes

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Arizona

11/21/09

at Arizona

44-41

No

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Oregon St.

12/03/09

Oregon St.

37-33

Yes

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Ohio St.

01/01/10

Ohio St.

17-26

Yes

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Season Totals

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0