2020 NFL Draft: 3 late-round wide receivers 49ers should target
By Peter Panacy
1. player. 839. . Wide Receiver. Volunteers . Jauan Jennings
While the 49ers have long gotten away from needing a big-bodied wide receiver, the lack of established red-zone threats outside of Kendrick Bourne points to the idea Kyle Shanahan will want to diversify this position a bit more this offseason.
So, should Shanahan want to prioritize size over fluid and crisp route running, going after Tennessee’s Jauan Jennings on day three of the NFL Draft wouldn’t be the worst idea.
Jennings, 6-foot-3 and 208 pounds, enjoyed a highly productive senior year after a relatively up-and-down collegiate career with the Volunteers:
| Receiving | Rushing | Scrimmage | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD |
| *2015 | Tennessee | SEC | FR | WR | 10 | 14 | 149 | 10.6 | 0 | 7 | 15 | 2.1 | 0 | 21 | 164 | 7.8 | 0 |
| *2016 | Tennessee | SEC | SO | WR | 13 | 40 | 580 | 14.5 | 7 | 5 | 27 | 5.4 | 0 | 45 | 607 | 13.5 | 7 |
| 2017 | Tennessee | SEC | JR | WR | 1 | 3 | 17 | 5.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 5.7 | 0 | |
| 2018 | Tennessee | SEC | JR | WR | 11 | 30 | 438 | 14.6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 438 | 14.6 | 3 | |
| *2019 | Tennessee | SEC | SR | WR | 13 | 59 | 969 | 16.4 | 8 | 13 | 51 | 3.9 | 1 | 72 | 1020 | 14.2 | 9 |
| Career | Tennessee | 146 | 2153 | 14.7 | 18 | 25 | 93 | 3.7 | 1 | 171 | 2246 | 13.1 | 19 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 2/21/2020.
A wrist injury held him back in 2017, and there are stories of clashes with his coaching staff, too. Yet those seem to be far enough in the past for San Francisco not to be overly concerned. What stands out instead, however, is his aggression to go after contested catches, which is something the 49ers offense still needs in the red zone.
Jennings will have to work on those route-running skills, and he won’t possess the blazing-fast speed Shanahan often looks to at the position.
Still, there is more than enough here to like for the Niners to consider using one of their day-three picks on a player like Jennings.
Next. Ranking 49ers' top 5 wide receiver options in 2020 NFL Draft. dark
The 2020 NFL Draft kicks off with Round 1 on Thursday, April 23 from Las Vegas, Nevada.