2020 NFL Combine: Jauan Jennings likely fell of 49ers draft board

The San Francisco 49ers could have been looking at Tennessee wide receiver Jauan Jennings in the 2020 NFL Draft, but a poor showing at the scouting combine hurt his stock.

It’s highly likely the San Francisco 49ers will target a wide receiver, perhaps two in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft.

But considering the team has only one pick, No. 31 overall, between Rounds 1 through 4, there’s a good chance head coach Kyle Shanahan will have to wait beyond the opening rounds to get a player capable of thriving in his complex, dynamic offense.

Earlier this month, Niner Noise compiled a brief list of day-three wide receivers who could pique the Niners interest. One of them was Tennessee’s Jauan Jennings, who at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, could provide some much-needed size to an otherwise shortish 49ers wide receiver corps.

And Jennings likely wouldn’t be anywhere close to an early pick, either, perhaps landing in Rounds 6 or 7.

All that was before Jennings’ efforts at the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on Thursday, however.

Simply put, Jennings wasn’t overly impressive. For a player of his stature, one would have hoped his vertical leap would have been pushing close to 40 inches. Instead, he capped out at 29 inches, which ranked second worst out of all wide receivers participating.

But the biggest kicker against Jennings was his 40-yard time, which came in at an overly sluggish 4.73 seconds, which was also second worst.

Ouch.

Jennings had some college red flags, which combined with the lowly NFL Combine efforts, all but guarantee the 49ers will have a minimal interest. Keep in mind, one of Shanahan’s most preferred traits at wide receiver is speed. And if speed isn’t a top trait, the pass catcher better have some excellent route-running skills.

Jennings’ route-running abilities aren’t particularly top notch. Perhaps the only notable trait Jennings now brings to the table is his size. But after recording low numbers in the vertical jump, one could easily question his jump-ball skills, too.

It’s likely Jennings wasn’t going to be much more than a sixth- or seventh-round pick. Yet the Niners have three selections split between those two rounds.

After his performance at the NFL Combine, however, one shouldn’t expect the 49ers to remotely think about using a pick on the former Tennessee Volunteer.