49ers’ final pick may have been their best of 2020 draft

Jauan Jennings had a solid career at Tennessee, but his next chapter with the 49ers could be even better.

The 49ers made a pair of important moves early in the draft to fill holes along the defensive line and at wide receiver. While a busy first round that featured two trades will stand out for the 49ers, their best pick might’ve been their last.

Draft Wire listed every teams biggest steal from the 2020 draft, and named Tennessee wide receiver Jauan Jennings for the 49ers.

Jennings went in the seventh round, No. 217 overall and was the final pick of San Francisco’s light five-player class. While they’re already pretty heavy at receiver, the value for Jennings in the seventh round was too good for San Francisco to pass up.

The first-year is already getting to work with his new quarterback, participating in throwing sessions in Nashville according to a tweet posted by the University of Tennessee Football’s Twitter account.

Jennings slid in the draft in part because of his slow 40 time. He clocked in at 4.72 — which ranks in the second percentile among wide receivers according to MockDraftable. He was also dismissed from the team in 2017 for a social media tirade aimed at the coaching staff, but he was eventually welcomed back and earned a spot as a team captain in his final season.

The 6-3, 212-pound receiver offers a unique skill set that could wind up making him a legitimate candidate to make the roster and produce early on. Jennings is very good on contested throws and he’s among the best tackle-breaking wide receivers in this rookie class. That jibes well with the type of receiving corps the 49ers are building — one that excels after the catch.

His lack of speed will limit him, and could ultimately be his downfall in his quest for a roster spot. The team could conceivably try and move him to tight end, but he had enough success at receiver in college to earn a legitimate look there in camp and the preseason.

Jennings caught 59 balls for 969 yards and eight touchdowns last season. As a true sophomore in 2016 he had 580 yards and seven touchdowns on 40 receptions. The production isn’t eye-popping, but it is intriguing.

If the seventh-round pick can carve out a role where he’s converting third downs and earning red zone targets, he can be a difference-maker who eventually goes down as one of the steals of the 2020 draft.

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