AJ Jenkins in draft
The San Francisco 49ers have taken another step to boost their receiving corps, selecting Illinois wideout A.J. Jenkins with the 30th pick in the NFL draft.
Jenkins will join a unit that already features Randy Moss, Mario Manningham and Michael Crabtree on the reigning NFC West champion 49ers, who lost in overtime of the NFC title game to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants.
Jenkins had 90 catches last season for 1.276 yards and eigh.
San Francisco has all 11 defensive starters back. This became a drastically different draft for GM Trent Baalke, whose selections the past two years became immediate impact players — offensive linemen Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati and then linebacker Aldon Smith (who had 14 sacks last season as a rookie).
AJ Jenkins.
Just for fun, general manager Trent Baalke wrote A.J. Jenkins’ name on a piece of paper and put it in an envelope. If all went according to plan, he would be San Francisco’s selection with the 30th pick in the NFL draft.
Turns out Jenkins was still on the board Thursday night — and the Illinois wide receiver had no idea he would be a first-rounder. In fact, his sister had to get him from the bathroom when the 49ers called, and he hustled to the phone.
“Yeah, I sprinted. I didn’t know if it was real or not, because during the middle of the draft my cousin had called my phone and was playing with me” – Jenkins said. “It was like a little joke. It’s crazy. … I was in the bathroom, and my sister started saying: ‘Your phone’s ringing.’ ‘Ah, you’re kidding,’ I’m saying, ‘you’re playing a joke on me.’”
“I’m out of words right now” – added Jenkins, whose ability to play several spots in Jim Harbaugh’s offense put him high on the Niners’ list. “I thought it was the perfect fit to be honest. I didn’t think the phone call was going to come so soon. I’m honored and I’m blessed. It’s crazy.”
The 49ers took another step to boost their suddenly deep receiving corps by adding Jenkins, the fourth receiver taken.
He will join a unit that already features Randy Moss, Mario Manningham and Michael Crabtree on the reigning NFC West champion 49ers, who went 13-3 to end an eight-year playoff drought before losing in overtime of the NFC title game to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants.
“Just going to an organization with Randy Moss and Crabtree, I’m going to learn a lot” – Jenkins said. “But me coming into it as a rookie, I think I could do great, like going downfield. I could play the slot, the outside, I could do the option routes. I mean I could do it all.”
A.J. Jenkins played his last college game in San Francisco against UCLA at the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in December.
It’s safe to say the speedy Illinois wide receiver didn’t expect his first NFL game to come in the uniform of the team playing in the same city.
In a move that came as a bit of a surprise to NFL pundits – and was a huge shock to Jenkins – the 49ers selected the honorable-mention All-American with the No. 30 overall pick in the draft. Jenkins, 6-foot and 192 pounds, had 90 catches for 1,276 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior.
San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh said the team clocked him running a 4.31-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. Central Florida cornerback Josh Robinson had the fastest official time (4.33) in Indianapolis and Jenkins ranked sixth (4.39).
Despite his credentials, Jenkins, who was viewed as a second-round pick, didn’t expect to have 49ers general manager Trent Baalke give him a call in the latter stages of the first round Thursday night. On a conference call with reporters a few minutes after he was selected, Jenkins repeatedly said he was “speechless,” adding at one point: “This is crazy.”
Jenkins, who was with his family in his hometown of Jacksonville, Fla, initially thought a relative was calling him as a practical joke. He was so excited when speaking with the media that he couldn’t recall if it was Baalke who initially spoke with him.
“I had no idea I was going to go this early” – he said.
The 49ers say they did, however.
They received a call before their pick from the Vikings, inquiring about a trade at No. 30. The 49ers weren’t interested, and Minnesota made a deal with the Ravens, who had the No. 29 selection. Harbaugh said Jenkins, who had a pre-draft visit with the team, was the player they had targeted.
“Trent Baalke last night put his name in an envelope and said, ‘This is who we’re going to pick’” – Harbaugh said. “We all agreed on it and it held true. That was the guy we wanted and that was the highest player on the board when the time came to pick him.”