Jim Nagy, Senior Bowl director, had similar feelings. Sports' Pete Thamel that Jennings could be one of the steals of the entire draft. “They ask me just to be honest about everything throughout my career, and that’s what I do,” Jennings said. “That’s what I’m going to sell. The 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 “This last year with (Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt) and them just means the world with what we did with that team. The truth of the matter is Jennings never was going to light up the radar gun at the combine. At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, Jennings excels at forcing missed tackles and dragging defenders into the end zone. “When I catch the ball, it turns right into running-back style. That’s how I look at it.”. Jennings forced 30 missed tackles last season, leading Division I just ahead of CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson. Jennings was dismissed from the Vols by interim coach Brady Hoke in November 2017 after he went on an expletive-laced tirade directed at the coaching staff on social media. As a result, he is still worthy of being a high NFL Draft pick, and a 40-time at a combine is completely irrelevant. Jennings has proven his skills in too many other ways, and as a result, his NFL Draft stock should not fall at all because of this. He knew those issues were going to come up in his meetings with NFL evaluators. 25 overall, but grabbing Jennings in the seventh round could give them even more firepower as Kyle Shanahan looks to build a YAC army around Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. “To go out there and experience (the Senior Bowl) first-hand, I was low-key shocked,” Jennings said with a smile. Wherever he gets drafted, he’s going to play and he’s going to be an impact on the team.”. All rights reserved. The 49ers filled their wide receiver need by drafting Brandon Aiyuk at No. INDIANAPOLIS — Jauan Jennings told the reporters sitting at his table Tuesday that he was a people person, and then proceeded to do all the things people persons do: smile at every question, crack jokes and insist on positivity. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The history of the NFL Draft really shows a couple of things. I wish I could get it back, and I won’t. © 2020 www.tennessean.com. The Tennesee wide receiver entered the draft process as a likely third- or fourth-round pick after a solid Senior Bowl week. To be spelling those types of things out to NFL scouts and coaches in Indianapolis is a bit surreal, Jennings admitted. Build your custom FanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis on Tennessee Volunteers and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. Former Vols receiver Jauan Jennings knew some of his past issues were going to come up in his meetings this week with coaches at the NFL Combine. Most recently, the SEC suspended the 6-foot-3, 215-pound receiver for the first half of the Gator Bowl for stepping on the face of Vanderbilt's Justice Shelton-Mosley during a December game. Now, you can question other things about Jennings, including his initial dismissal from the Vols and the legal issues he once faced. Him leading the nation in yards after contact for a wide receiver has to count for a lot. There’s always outliers and Jennings is an outlier. He was reinstated for the 2018 season by Pruitt. 25 wide receiver in this draft class and sees going from rounds four through six in April’s NFL Draft. “I just learned that regardless of the circumstances, you’ve got to always give it your all and just own up to your mistakes and own up to your responsibilities, and that’s what I did as a person and as a growing man,” Jennings said. It’ll be fun watching how many WRs drafted ahead of him that he out-plays at the next level.”. Bennie Jauan Jennings (born July 10, 1997) is an American football wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). Okay, so he won’t burn cornerbacks with speed in straight-line runs on hot routes. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images). Not super fast, that’s the only knock," a coach told Thamel. With a historically loaded wide receiver class, all it took was one knock, one injury, one poor test to send your stock plummeting down the draft board. Tennessee Volunteers news from FanSided Daily, Tennessee football: Four Vols whose return to health could help in 2020, Tennessee basketball: Florida perfect opportunity for Vols to get on track, 30 Greatest Football Games in Vols History, Top 50 Greatest Vols in Tennessee Football History, Tennessee football: Key moments from 31-27 South Carolina win, Tennessee football: Photo gallery from 31-27 South Carolina win, Tennessee football: Five takeaways from Vols 31-27 win at South Carolina, Tennessee football at South Carolina: Live stream, game time, TV info, Tennessee football: Dean Zulkofske’s Week 4 SEC, top 25 picks, Tennessee football: Vols DL Darel Middleton arrested for overnight incident, NFL Rumors: Ex-Chief Eric Berry Draws Interest from Colts Entering Free Agency, Tennessee football: Recent leap year seasons unpleasant for Vols coaches, Tennessee football: Top 15 recruits for Vols to pursue in 2021.