The 49ers added to their wide receiving depth in the 2020 draft seventh round pick 217 when they added Jauan Jennings of the University of Tennessee. Jennings’ call is easy to see as the 49ers continue to prioritize a ball control offense with catcheries that can create yards after the catch. Presumably receivers Jalen Hurd and Trent Taylor will also be in good health and ready to participate in the preseason.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan was surprised to see Jennings fall in the seventh round. But as a seventh round pick, Shanahan said he would have to work harder than most to prove himself and earn a spot on the list. I think he will, however, just because he adds what Shanahan currently enjoys in the receiving group: the ability to create yards after capture.
Of the choice, Shanahan said he was surprised that they brought him where they did, but explained what they liked about his tape:
“When you watch this tape, you know that a lot of people in this League will like it. He was one of our favorite guys to watch. He’s a bulldog. It usually plays in the slot. I feel like he could probably play the linebacker if he wants to. He is ready to fight everyone there. He fights for yards. He plays games, and there is a mindset about this guy that you don’t need to talk to him to hear about it. “
But as a seventh round pick, Shanahan said he would have to work harder than most to prove himself and earn a spot on the list. I think he will, however, just because he adds what Shanahan currently enjoys in the receiving group: the ability to create yards after capture.
Measurable and statistics
In 2019, Jennings was close to a 1,000-yard receiver on just 59 receptions. He had 969 yards and eight touchdowns, 16.4 yards per receiving.
He did all of this during his senior season without being an ultra fast or super athletic receiver. He ran his 40th time in 4.7 and did not particularly stand out at all in the combined, which probably contributed to his fall on the board in the seventh lap.
In fact, its measurable does not correspond to the profile of the receiver who put these kinds of numbers. This made his gang even more intriguing, and it’s easy to see why Shanahan chose the path he followed with Jennings even though it could easily have been a start of third day pick in the 4th or 5th round, which which would have slightly improved the number of tests done for him.
Strengths
How playing strength and balance / control contribute to yards after capture
The first thing that sticks to Jennings’ strip is its playfulness. It comes in at 6 feet 3 inches and 215 pounds and will likely play most of its snaps in the slot. Its size alone will benefit it. According to Pro Football Focus, Jennings led all receivers in the country with 30 broken tackles.
Here against Georgia, Jennings runs quickly to the apartment. There is nothing very technical in what he does here on the course he runs. It won’t give you fancy clearance, just an old-fashioned hard-nosed run after the catch. Three Georgia defenders are chasing him to the capture point, and almost any other receiver would fall or be unable to get the yards after the capture here he gets.
He plants his foot in the ground as the defenders converge on him and retreat inside. He misses two defenders and plays through the potential tackle at the end of the game, removing any doubt that he could avoid contact.
The best example of Jennings’ playing power came against South Carolina when he scolded for a 48-yard touchdown reception and broke two tackles in the process where the defenders seemed to bounce on him. The game shows its superior balance and strength despite the absence of elite athleticism. This could be a problem for opposing defenses.
Jennings is number two in a 3×1 left wing formation. He travels a deep and revolutionary road that Shanahan calls a “basic” road. South Carolina is in a cover defense 3, and the linebacker during the trips tries to redirect Jennings before falling flat.
The bump doesn’t do much, however, as Jennings can still get its depth in time. Because he ran more vertically than through, the linebacker responsible for # 3 through (3 up is 3) gets lost first before choosing it, but at this point, it is too late.
Jennings catches the pass in the open field, and that’s where he does his best job. As he runs toward the goal line, two defenders give their best shot but fail as they both bounce on him as he crosses their contact.
He stumbles first but recovers from the first contact and not an instant too early. The second defender tries to unbalance him from behind, but he stumbles just forward and recovers again before crossing the goal line.
Balance and control
Jennings’ playing power allows her to gain yards after capture, and the combination of the two will serve her well in Shanahan’s attack.
His strength also contributes to his balance and control after capture, as shown in the game above against South Carolina. But in the game above, he can also make moves in much tighter neighborhoods that allow him to get more yards. In the clip above against Florida, he performs a quick route or a quick stop. He grabs the pass and runs up.
It won’t win with speed, but with its frame going down, it’s hard to stop. He makes a few quick cuts and a nice rotation, keeps control and is aware of continuing to run without hesitation or concern about where the defenders are. At the end of the run, he still plays through two defensemen on the way to a 27-yard gain.
In disputed situations, it is advantageous to have a receiver that can go through the middle and make difficult adjustments on imperfect passes.
Here against Georgia State, Jennings runs a quick tilt in the middle, something Shanahan calls a “now” tilt, two quick steps and crosses the defender’s face no matter what. Jennings opens with a quick outward kick to a defender who already had outside leverage and, in two quick steps, cuts inside on the bank. The movement created just enough separation for it to open up.
This is where not having speed can hurt a receiver. The defender recovers enough to enter Jennings’ catching radius and break the pass. The pass is high and behind, and Jennings, who has not tested well with her vertical jump, makes a difficult adjustment and climbs and hangs the pass in the air with the defender in front. His body control and his conscience more than makeup for any lack of speed.
In another clip here against the Missouri, his balance and strength help him push back the defenders in what initially appears to be being addressed as he attempts to step onto the field. He plants his foot and pushes two defenders, gets hit and remains standing while fighting to enter the end zone.
How will Jennings be used in Shanahan’s offensive?
Since it does not have the speed to take over the opposing defenses, it will more than likely see most of its use in the slot in what is called the “big slot”. The large slot is someone who can line up in the slot and create offsets for the opposing tusks.
Although it lacks the speed to expose slower linebackers and safeties, it gives the quarterback a large, reliable target across the middle on crossing roads and along the seam where he can use his body to protect the defender’s ball and make disputed catches.
On the deep crossing routes in the clips above, you can see how it can turn receptions into big wins if it has a little room to work. It doesn’t really waste movement or affect the timing of shots with its speed, and it can make difficult adjustments on flawed shots and still accumulate yards after capture. And at the risk of repeating myself, it is difficult to face.
He can also execute sewing routes or bland routes where he can catch the ball in traffic because of his ability to protect the pass from defenders. He excels here because of his size and strength because he cannot create space with his lack of speed.
When touched in the clip above, the defender tries to hit him 10 meters downstream, but it was a mistake since Jennings crashed and ran right next to him. Its precise cuts and jab steps are fluid enough to keep it engaged on the road long enough to open.
On the fade out of the slot, it hits and disappears while eliminating the defender’s collision and creates enough separation to catch the pass. On the chopping vertical in the last clip, he makes a difficult adjustment on the throw and stands between a triangle of defenders while he takes a hit.
Slower receivers create space in the way they sell the route with their movements. Here, Jennings runs a juke route, a common route in most NFL offenses, particularly in Shanahan.
On the juke, Jennings pushes upwards to a depth of about five meters, sits briefly in front of the defender, then immediately steps back inside while the defender is working to obtain external leverage. As Jennings sits, he raises his hands like a decoy as if the pass were happening to him. As the defender trains, he finds space inside where he catches the pass and turns up.
We could also see Jennings performing the occasional fire route that Shanahan usually reserves for faster receivers. However, Jennings can sell the vertical rod and head for the pole before cutting. Its nuance creates separation in running rather than total speed.
Perspective
Jennings should theoretically be part of the team in the fall with the final cuts because of the added versatility he brings to the role of slot machine, his tenacity and strength, and his ability to create yards after capture. I firmly believe that he would have been late on the first day or early on the second day of the draft if he had been two tenths of a second faster than he was on the combine.
As it stands, choosing a seventh round already puts him at a disadvantage, but that motivation should motivate him to enter the team’s remaining schedule this summer due to the cancellation of team activities. He certainly has most of the traits necessary to thrive and could very likely make the 49ers’ attack much more dynamic.
