Jonathan Dupree Baldwin (born August 10, 1989) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...
wide receiver. He was drafted by the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The t ...
in the first round of the
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York ...
. He played
college football at
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
. Baldwin also played for the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
.
Early years
Baldwin attended
Aliquippa (PA) in
Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
Aliquippa is the largest city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, located on the Ohio River about northwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 9,238 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.
Formerly the loc ...
, where he was one of the country's elite receiver prospects and multi-sport (basketball and track) stars. In
football, he was a
SuperPrep All-American and was the Northeast Offensive Player of the Year. He was selected to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Fabulous 22", to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review "Terrific 25" and to the Harrisburg Patriot-News "Platinum 33". He compiled 62 catches for 1,083 yards (17.5 avg.) and 14
touchdowns
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Americ ...
his final two years, helping his team to a combined 19-4 record (.826), including berths in the
WPIAL
The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) is an interscholastic athletic association in Western Pennsylvania. It is District 7 of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association.
History
The Western Pennsylvania Inte ...
Class AA playoffs each season. He earned a combined eight varsity letters at Aliquippa High, including four in basketball, three in football and three in track. Academically, he had a 3.35 GPA. He was also selected to play in the
2008 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
In addition to being a national football recruit, Baldwin also had several Division I scholarship offers in basketball, including
Marquette. He was an All-state performer, averaging 21.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and two blocks a game his senior year. He was teammates with fellow Pitt
wide receiver Mike Shanahan.
Also a standout
track & field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...
athlete, Baldwin competed in
relays
A relay
Electromechanical relay schematic showing a control coil, four pairs of normally open and one pair of normally closed contacts
An automotive-style miniature relay with the dust cover taken off
A relay is an electrically operated swit ...
and
sprints his junior and senior seasons. At the 2008 Midwestern Athletic Conference, he took second in the
200 meters
The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...
, crossing the finish line at 22.07 seconds. He tied for first place in the
100 meters
The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...
at the 2008 WPIAL AA/AAA Qualifiers, recording a career-best time of 10.70 seconds. At the PIAA T&F State Championships, he took bronze in the 100 meters, with a time of 10.94 seconds. In addition, he was also a member of the Quips'
PIAA and WPIAL champion
4 × 100 m relay
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures.
In mathematics
Four is the smalles ...
teams, that recorded a school-record of 42.47 seconds.
Recruiting
Regarded as a five-star recruit by ''
Rivals.com'', Baldwin was ranked as the No. 5
wide receiver in the nation, the No. 26 prospect in the nation and the No. 2 best player in the state of
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...
. He was rated one of the country's top 40 overall prospects by ''
Scout.com'' (No. 20) and ''
PrepStar.com'' (No. 38). Among national receiver prospects, he was rated No. 3 by SuperPrep, No. 5 by Rivals and No. 6 by Scout. He was named to The Associated Press Pennsylvania Class AA All-State Team (first-team), and was No. 3 on Scout's East Top 100 list.
College career
Baldwin played for the
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...
. As a
true freshman
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
in 2008, Baldwin started 3 of 13 games, recording 18 receptions for 404 yards and three
touchdowns
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Americ ...
.
During his sophomore season in 2009 he made 54 receptions for 1,080 yards and eight touchdowns in the regular season. including six catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns against Cincinnati in the final game with the conference championship on the line, but Pittsburgh lost by one point.
Heading into the 2010 season, Lindy's listed him as the nation's No. 3 wide receiver and a second-team All-American while the ''Sporting News'' listed Baldwin as a third-team preseason All-American. In 2010, he had 55 receptions, 822 yard and five touchdowns in 13 games.
Professional career
2011 NFL Combine
Kansas City Chiefs
Baldwin was selected with the 26th overall pick in the
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York ...
by the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The t ...
. He was expected to be the second
WR on the roster behind
Dwayne Bowe
Dwayne Lorenzo Bowe (born September 21, 1984) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Louisiana State University, and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played ...
. On July 29, 2011, he signed a 4-year deal with the Chiefs. In week 2 of the 2011 NFL preseason Baldwin suffered a wrist injury after a locker room fight with teammate
Thomas Jones that sidelined him for the rest of the 2011 preseason. Baldwin caught his first NFL catch against the Raiders on week 7 for 14 yards. On October 31, 2011 Baldwin played in his first game at
Arrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium is an American football stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). The stadium has been officially named GEHA Field at Arrowhead Sta ...
as he played a key role in the Chiefs 23-20 victory over the
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
. Baldwin caught 5 passes for 82 yards as well as catching his first career NFL touchdown on a 39-yard pass from
Matt Cassel
Matthew Brennan Cassel (born May 17, 1982) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. A member of seven NFL teams, Cassel's most notable stints were with the New England Patriots an ...
. Baldwin would finish the year with 254 receiving yards and one touchdown.
San Francisco 49ers
On August 19, 2013, Baldwin was traded to the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
in exchange for WR
A. J. Jenkins
Alfred Alonzo "A. J." Jenkins Jr. (born September 30, 1989) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft, and also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas ...
. He was waived on August 3, 2014.
Detroit Lions
On August 4, 2014, Baldwin was claimed by the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...
, but was waived the following day after failing a physical.
Personal life
Baldwin has two sisters, and is the son of Jeffrey and Tezmalita Baldwin. His father was a defensive lineman at Pitt from 1981–84.
His cousin,
Charles Fisher, played cornerback in the NFL for the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...
.
[Johnathan Baldwin](_blank)
Pittsburgh Panthers
References
External links
San Francisco 49ers bio*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldwin, Jonathan
1989 births
Living people
People from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
African-American players of American football
American football wide receivers
Pittsburgh Panthers football players
Kansas City Chiefs players
San Francisco 49ers players
Sportspeople from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area
Players of American football from Pennsylvania
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people