Anthony Treash of Pro Football Focus took on the task of listing players he felt were the biggest steals of the 2020 NFL Draft. One member of San Francisco's newest draft class — seventh-round pick Jauan Jennings, the receiver out of Tennessee — made the list.
"What Jauan Jennings does in an open field is a sight to see," writes Treash, "and makes us wonder how he fell this far into the draft, but Kyle Shanahan surely isn't mad he did. He lacks straight-line speed but was incredibly difficult to bring down at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. This past year, Jennings broke 30 tackles on just 59 catches. Jennings' suddenness at his size is remarkable, too. He'll fit in quite nicely in Shanahan's offense."
Treash's list was compiled using PFF's statistical database, big board heading into the draft, and its 1,200-plus page draft guide. While Jennings was the No. 217 overall pick, he was ranked at No. 70 on PFF's big board.
At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Jennings becomes one of the 49ers' bigger receiving targets. San Francisco has just two wide receivers — Jalen Hurd (6-4) and Shawn Poindexter (6-5) — listed as taller.
Jennings hauled in 59 receptions for 969 yards with eight touchdowns — all career-bests — during his senior year in 2019, most of which came in the slot.
"Tackling Jennings in the open field oftentimes looks like what I imagine a person trying to tackle a horse would look like," writes PFF analyst Mike Renner, whose closest comparison for Jennings is former 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree.
PFF's draft guide listed Jennings as a third-round talent, so getting him in the seventh is good value for the 49ers.
"The polish isn't there yet, but the raw physical tools very much are," notes PFF's draft guide. "Jennings is a very strong 'how did he fall to there?' candidate a few years down the line."
H/t to Patrick Tulini for the find
