2012 NFL Draft: Breaking Down 49ers' 1st-Round Pick A.J. Jenkins

In the 2012 NFL draft, the 49ers surprised fans and media alike when they selected Illinois wide receiver A.J. Jenkins with the No. 30 overall pick.

For so many reasons, this was a wise choice by the 49ers, who I think put together another strong draft class in the Jim Harbaugh era.

The first thing you'll notice about Jenkins is his ability as a very fluid route runner. At the college level, he was smooth in and out of his breaks, which enabled him to get the desired separation. That is a skill set of his that will help him succeed at the next level because it's natural to him and won't require much transitioning. 

In addition to his smooth route running, Jenkins has great speed. At the NFL Combine, he was clocked in at running a 4.39 40-yard dash. Although, some will say he ran a 4.31. The combination of top-flight speed and ability to get separation makes him a deep threat. San Francisco was looking for a receiver who was not only able to stretch the field, but be a complete receiver.

In college, Jenkins ran a lot of underneath routes like slants, stop-routes and an awful lot of crossing routes. Jenkins didn't only use his speed to stretch the field, but to tire out the defense sideline-to-sideline.

Illinois also had him doing this because Jenkins was great after the catch. He was very good at making the catch and immediately cutting up field. He had a lot of repetition with this at the college level, so it should be second nature to him going into the pros.  

Another thing about going over the middle a lot against Big Ten defenses was that Jenkins was not afraid to get tuned up by a linebacker or creeping safety. He was always able to put blinders on to the defense when making the grab, and rarely dropped catchable passes.

Jenkins is also capable of taking over a game. When he was at Illinois, people knew he was "the guy" and, at times, he still remained unstoppable. He had a number of big college games and had a terrific senior season where he went well over a thousand yards. 

I think we can forget about his height, at only 6'0, he still does it all. Jenkins does a lot of the little things very well, and if he were 6'4, Mel Kiper Jr. would have had him as top-three receiver coming out of this year's draft class. 

Another thing that may have been a blessing in disguise for Jenkins was that he didn't have high-caliber quarterbacking in college. He had to compensate and, over time, developed great body control and the ability to adjust to the football. On numerous occasions, he displayed that he could stretch out for the catch and really make the awkward grabs. 

For the Alex Smith skeptics out there, this should put your mind at ease. 

Something Harbaugh mentioned about Jenkins was his toughness. The film shows not only his toughness, but versatility.

The  wide out made a lot of short catches for tough yardage and had even run routes out of the backfield at times. His toughness also comes from being the undisputed playmaker for the Fighting Illini—he was constantly targeted and Big Ten cornerbacks often played rough with him. 

But despite all the gameplanning against him, Jenkins was still able to produce. Another valuable quality is how he is able to get in sync with his quarterback. He often bailed out his QB at Illinois with improvisation, communication and coming back for the football. When Alex Smith is in trouble, it's going to be helpful to have someone other than Vernon Davis making his life easier. 

Jenkins' collective physical attributes and style remind me of Mike Wallace of the Pittsburgh Steelers. And, like Wallace, Jenkins will don No. 17 for the 49ers.

But considering his notably extra-large set of hands, he's very similar to New York Giants receiver Hakeem Nicks, who is able to make a lot of tough catches because he's able to wrap his hands around the entire football. 

The 49ers were looking for a deep threat WR who excelled at creating separation and was capable of making all the catches—that's what they got in A.J. Jenkins. By no means is he a one-dimensional receiver, and could blossom into the 49ers' No. 1 target for the new regime. 

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