San Francisco 49ers: 5 rookies who’ll impress most in 2020 training camp

You’ll want to keep an eye on these five 49ers rookies to watch in training camp

Since John Lynch became the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers, he has had his ups and downs in the NFL Draft.

There were some misses early on (running back Joe Williams, the jury still out on defensive end Solomon Thomas but not looking worth his third overall selection) with some real diamonds in the rough (linebacker Fred Warner in the third round, and of course the crown jewel, tight end George Kittle in the fifth round).

If the 49ers wish to run the table and dominate the NFC West for years to come, they are going to need more of the latter.

Here are five rookies who could impress in training camp leading up to the 2020 season.

49ers Wide Receiver Jauan Jennings, Round 7

Now maybe not the wide receiver most people are hoping to see on this list. Don’t worry, 49ers first rounder Brandon Aiyuk is going to be great in camp and worthy of his 25th overall pick. But former Tennessee widout Jauan Jennings is going to outplay his seventh round selection.

At 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds, Jennings is a different type of player than what we are used to seeing in the 49ers wide receiver room. Not an overly fast guy (4.72 40-yard time at the NFL Scouting Combine), but extremely tough. He has strong hands that allow him to make tough contested catches, and he just seems to love contact.

Jennings reminds me of the seventh-grade kid who developed and grew before everyone else, and the coach has him run the ball and everyone just seems to bounce off of him. He certainly has several highlights that look that way.  That is what stood out about Jennings most to San Francisco.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan told The Athletic, “I feel like he could play linebacker out there if he wants. He’s willing to fight everybody out there.”

That is pretty high praise, and if Jennings can find the way onto the field this season, it will certainly be saying something. It won’t be easy, but as we enter the dog days of August, we are going to be scratching our heads saying, “How did this guy fall to the seventh round?”