What Kind of Role could Jauan Jennings Carve Out as a Rookie?

Jennings has experience lining up in the slot.

Aside from Deebo Samuel, the 49ers entered the offseason with several questions surrounding their wide-receiver core.

With minimal cap space, the team's front office didn’t do much to sure up the position in free agency. Instead, they took the approach of adding multiple pass-catchers through the NFL Draft. In the first round, they drafted Arizona State’s Brandon Aiyuk, and in the seventh round they selected Tennessee’s Jauan Jennings.

Aiyuk was highly coveted entering the draft and his expectations are already buzzing for what's next. But what type of skill set does Jennings bring to Kyle Shanahan’s offense?

Shanahan’s blueprint for his receivers has been clearly laid out. He gravitates towards big body pass-catchers who can create yards on their own after the catch with speed or physicality. At 6’3”, 215-pounds, Jennings has the frame that contains a large catch radius while also being able to fight through tacklers with his considerably large body type. 

Shanahan shared his initial thoughts after the conclusion of the draft on what he saw from Jennings throughout the scouting process: 

"He was one of our most favorite guys to watch," said Shanahan. "He’s a bulldog. He usually plays in the slot. I feel like he could probably play linebacker if he wants. He’s willing to fight everybody out there. He fights for yards. He makes plays, and there’s a mindset to that guy that you don’t have to talk to him to hear about.”

As Shanahan pointed out, Jennings has experience lining up in the slot. While he is much bigger than the majority of slot receivers in the NFL, the 49ers could utilize him as their "big-slot" option. Essentially, Jennings could do the bulk of his work over the middle of the field, providing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo with a sizable check-down option who's likely to see a lot of matchups against the opposing team's group of linebackers. 

Jennings has the length of a prototypical X or Z receiver. However, he doesn't have the burning speed to beat cornerbacks on the deep ball when lining up out wide. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Jennings recorded a 40-yard dash time of 4.72 seconds, which ranked in the bottom two percentile of qualified wide receivers. 

His 40-yard dash was a big reason why he was still available in the seventh round, as that gained a lot of attention to his diminishing draft stock. 

All things aside, Jennings will now be judged by how he performs on the football field, versus how fast he can run and how high he can jump at a Combine. He was a productive player in his final season in college, posting 969 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. 

But can he bring a new dimension to the 49ers passing game as a bona-fide slot receiver? Time will tell.