Jason
Pinnock.
Jason
Pinnock.
Pittsburgh· 6'0"· 204 lb· 4.51s 40
"A 6'0", 204-pound Pittsburgh boundary corner with a 4.51 forty and 40.5" vertical at his pro day, six career picks and a projectable frame — a Round-5 zone/press flip candidate with obvious safety upside."Pre-draft read
This defensive back primarily aligns as a single-high safety, reading the quarterback's actions from his backpedal. He closes the far hash cleanly with vertical explosion. In two-high shell looks, he rotates into the post or robber role, matching vertical routes from the second receiver, using straight-line speed to eliminate deep threats from depth.
His ball skills are evident at the catch point, consistently playing through the receiver's hands. He tackles physically in run support, though he sometimes bends at the waist against downhill runners and can be over-aggressive when pulling blockers reach the second level. While he can carry slot receivers vertically in emergencies, his change-of-direction ability is functional, making him vulnerable to quick underneath breaks.
This rangy defensive back is an ideal fit for a Cover-3 match scheme, leveraging his single-high abilities to play deep zone and erase seams.
He can fill a Year 1 role as a rotational deep safety and four-phase special teams contributor, with a ceiling as a starting rangy free safety in a two-safety system.
His value diminishes significantly in nickel-heavy schemes that demand elite change-of-direction from their safeties and ask them to cover quick slot receivers in man coverage.
Pinnock's elite athletic traits and ball skills make him a high-upside developmental safety, best utilized in systems that emphasize deep coverage and allow him to play off-meta.
Jason Pinnock 2019 Highlight Tape
Junior-year Pittsburgh reel — boundary press-bail reps, ball production and downhill run support against ACC opponents.
Jason Pinnock Highlight Tape 2018
Sophomore film showing the length, backpedal and transition traits that carried his pre-draft evaluation as a Day-3 corner.
Jason Pinnock 102-Yard Pick-Six
Giants free-safety rep — reads the quarterback from the post, undercuts a middle-field throw and finishes with the straight-line speed his 4.51 pro day advertised.
Pinnock projected as a developmental Day-3 corner with clear conversion potential to safety, offering value as a core special-teams player. His pro-day testing numbers, including a 40.5-inch vertical jump, validated the athletic upside and provided a strong argument for his long-strider profile, suggesting he could fill multiple roles in an NFL secondary.
Through four seasons and 43 games at Pittsburgh, he contributed as a boundary corner within a demanding ACC coverage system, accumulating six interceptions and 19 pass breakups. He played 26 starts against Power-Five competition, operating in a pattern-match scheme that required communication and the ability to travel with top receivers. His senior season, though shortened by COVID, still featured three interceptions.
Evaluators noted concerns regarding his short-area quickness and inconsistent tackling technique. Despite these flags, the consensus placed him as a mid-Day-3 selection, where he was ultimately drafted in Round 5, Pick 175 by the New York Jets, indicating teams were willing to bet on his traits for future development.
- 01
Exceptional Athleticism
Exceptional athletic testing profile, highlighted by a 9.16 RAS and a 40.5-inch vertical jump at 204 pounds, addressing movement concerns.
- 02
Impressive Ball Skills
Impressive vertical ball skills, demonstrating the ability to track and contest throws over either shoulder, with 6 interceptions and 19 pass breakups.
- 03
Projectable Frame
Possesses a long, projectable frame at 6'0" and 204 pounds with 31 3/8" arms, allowing for potential added play strength and versatility.
- 04
Clean Backpedal Technique
Clean and patient backpedal technique with a proper drop step out of press, maintaining balance through transitions to attack downhill routes.
- 05
Extensive Experience
Extensive experience as a four-year ACC contributor, starting 26 of 43 games in a complex pattern-match system against top competition.
- 01
Average Short-Area Quickness
Short-area quickness is average, as quick underneath routes like whip and pivot breaks can create separation before he can re-accelerate.
- 02
Tackling Technique Concerns
Tackling technique is a concern; he is a willing striker but often bends at the waist and reaches for ball carriers, leading to missed tackles.
- 03
Lacks Play Strength
Lacks consistent play strength at the line of scrimmage, struggling against larger X-receivers who employ bull-inside releases.
- 04
Zone Eye Discipline
Zone eye discipline requires improvement; he occasionally loses track of deeper patterns when focused on the immediate receiver.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.51sp50
- Vertical
- 40.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 128inp50
- Three-cone
- 6.83sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.13sp50
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Pittsburgh | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | Pittsburgh | 13 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| 2019 | Pittsburgh | 10 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| 2020 | Pittsburgh | 10 | 20 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| Career | — | 43 | 50 | 0 | 5 | 19 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Another long-limbed boundary corner drafted for traits and length whose NFL life becomes a teams and dime-safety role rather than a lockdown outside job.
The plausible ceiling — a corner-to-safety convert whose testing profile and ball skills earn him a decade of two-hat NFL value across corner, nickel and post safety.
The bust outcome — long, well-tested college corner whose short-area quickness and play strength never translate, and who bounces between practice squads without carving out a defensive role.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context. Pinnock arrived at Pittsburgh as a lanky, under-recruited Connecticut prospect and grew into a four-year contributor across the ACC. He logged 43 games and 26 starts, closing with a 2020 senior year that produced three interceptions, five pass breakups and an All-ACC honorable mention as Pitt's left corner in a pattern-match system. The pro day slate — no 2021 Combine — checked every athletic box that evaluators wanted to see: 6'0", 204 pounds, 4.51 in the forty, a 40.5-inch vertical, a 10'8" broad, and a 6.83 three-cone. That put him inside the top decile for cornerbacks historically and quieted the "long-strider" concerns from his junior tape. Boards had him graded as a Day-3 developmental corner with legitimate special-teams and dime-safety flex.
NFL fit — New York Jets. The team drafted him in Round 5 to compete on the boundary in a Cover-3 heavy defense that wanted long, physical corners who could match No. 1 receivers vertically. He played 220 defensive snaps as a rookie, mostly in dime and end-of-game packages, and flashed on teams. A crowded 2022 depth chart pushed him off the roster in final cuts; the Giants claimed him within 24 hours and immediately re-cast him as a free safety, betting on the range and ball skills that Pitt had underused.
Retrospective. That position change is the story. Pinnock started 33 games at safety for New York from 2022 to 2024, picked off four passes, forced two fumbles and became a trusted single-high and post-safety piece for the defensive scheme. He signed a two-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers in 2025 to compete for a starting spot alongside Ji'Ayir Brown. For a Round-5 corner the Jets moved on from before his second season, that's a clean hit — the athletic testing bet cashed, just at a different position than the draft card said.