San Francisco 49ers: 4 Reasonable Expectations for A.J. Jenkins in 2012

When 49ers' rookie wide receiver A.J. Jenkins arrives in San Francisco today, he'll be there to stay.

Jenkins' impressive athleticism and football smarts have swiftly quelled the questions of whether he was worthy of a first-round selection, and instead, inserted hope of injecting the Niners' corps of receivers with a playmaker who's been missing for basically an entire decade.

But Jenkins isn't the only new toy for QB Alex Smith to play with this coming season.

The additions of Randy Moss, Mario Manningham and even rookie running back LaMichael James will make it rather difficult for Jenkins to get his monstrous paws around the pigskin on a consistent basis in 2012.

Now, the eternal optimists inside 49er faithful are crossing their fingers for a 1,000-yard season and a potential Offensive Rookie of the Year award for Jenkins and his first campaign in Red and Gold.

It's safe to say we would all love to see that. Not even the great Jerry Rice broke the 1,000-yard mark (927 yards) in his rookie season.

And while we shouldn't completely throw that scenario out the window, we unfortunately must realize that for one, Jenkins has some work to do in terms of digesting the complex West Coast offense employed by the 49ers' coaching staff, and two, San Fran hasn't seen a pass-catcher eclipse 1,000 yards since Terrell Owens in 2003.

All that said, here are four things I believe we can reasonably expect to see from A.J. Jenkins throughout the 2012 season.

He'll Be in Peak Physical Condition

Lucky for us, the greatest wide receiver in NFL history is seeing to it that Jenkins is physically prepared for the rigors of a demanding NFL season.

Former 49er running back Roger Craig introduced Rice to the infamous hill in Rice's rookie season, and now, the Hall of Fame wideout is looking to set the Niners' newest first-round draft pick on a similar path.

Rice playfully challenged Jenkins to run the hill that features a 2.5 mile-high incline in which he and many other 49er greats used to train throughout their careers.

But nobody conquered the hill like Rice did, and Jenkins didn't just agree to join him—he wants to beat Rice's record.

"

So this is the "hill" --> bit.ly/IINyNC what's the officialtime to beat Mr. @JerryRice ?

— AJ Jenkins (@17AJJenkins) May 7, 2012"

As fellow Bleacher Report writer Dylan DeSimone outlined nicely in a recent post, adapting to a Rice-like work ethic from day one in the NFL would make it very difficult for Jenkins not to find success in Red and Gold.

We should all be excited about where this is headed.

Climbing the Depth Chart

Let's briefly recap the wideouts Jenkins will be competing with:

Michael Crabtree

Will get the nod at one starting spot given his experience in the offense and improved route-running and blocking abilities. However, lacks explosiveness in the open field and often struggles to separate from defenders. 

Those two weaknesses just happen to be two of Jenkins' strong points.

Mario Manningham

Outside of keeping its tenacious D in tact for 2012, Manningham was the 49ers' biggest free-agent acquisition this offseason.  

Manningham is faster than Crabtree and probably more evolved as a pass-catcher thus far in his career. He's quick, runs solid routes and can take the top off the defense at times, though, he's still not as fast as Jenkins.

Randy Moss

Moss is a bit of a wild card at this point. He would not be much of a financial burden if things don't pan out, but the rejuvenated future Hall of Fame wideout seems to be enjoying his time in San Fran and looks like he'll make the most of it. 

We all know what the 35-year-old Moss has done—and to be honest—probably can still do. But with Randy, you just never know. 

Kyle Williams

More of a lock for a roster spot (in my opinion) than most probably think. Williams typically made good on his chances as a receiver in 2011, and his skill set suits the West Coast offense quite well.

Ted Ginn Jr.

Lights out in the return game but not much of a threat offensively despite top-end speed. Ginn won't be taking any time away from Jenkins, and if the lightning-in-a-bottle James—or any of the other talented return men outside of Kyle Williams—show they can handle the return duties in camp, Teddy may not have a spot on the 53-man roster.

Chris Owusu—an undrafted free-agent signing out of Stanford—could become a training camp surprise and steal a roster spot as well, but I doubt he'll be in Jenkins' way in 2012.

At the break of camp, I think we'll see a lot of Crabtree/Manningham with a little Moss/Jenkins and possibly even Williams sprinkled in. As the season wears on, I truly believe Jenkins will wiggle his way into more playing time and steal the show with his dynamic skill set. 

He'll Absorb the West Coast Offense Like a Sponge

When A.J. Jenkins says he's ready to work, you'd better believe him.

"

48 hours from now I'll be in da bay living out a dream. I'm more than ready to get to work#49erFaithful

— AJ Jenkins (@17AJJenkins) May 9, 2012"

In fact, Jenkins is so excited he even skipped out on his college graduation ceremony to get to 49ers' headquarters before the rest of the rookies arrive.

Jenkins earns high praise for many aspects of his game, but his exceptional versatility is probably the asset Harbaugh and the coaching staff will enjoy the most.

At Ilinois, the 6'0", 190-pound wideout lined up nearly everywhere and did just about everything. He had little choice, considering he was basically the only weapon the team had at their disposal.

Vernon Davis will tell you that leaning the new playbook is by no means a walk in the park, but it certainly seems as though Jenkins going to attack it head on.

Statistical Projections

Finally, the fun part.

I really want to blurt out something like, oh, 77 catches, 1,140 yards and nine TDs to kick off Jenkins' NFL career. But I just can't do that to myself.

I do, however, see a great deal of production coming from the man they called "E.T." as a teen because of his extremely large and extra terrestrial-like mitts. 

The 49ers now have a lot of hands on deck at skill positions (none as large as Jenkins', though), and it'll be difficult for him to put up numbers worthy of Rookie of the Year consideration.

This year's draft class is loaded with offensive firepower (Andrew Luck, RGIII, Trent Richardson, Justin Blackmon and Michael Floyd), and their respective teams will be leaning upon them heavily in their rookie seasons.

But I believe he'll get more targets than logical thinking may suggest, as the Niners' stand to improve upon a dismal third-down conversion rate from a season ago and should (hopefully) run more plays on offense as a result.

Despite those woes, San Fran still ranked sixth (per teamfootballrankings.com) in time of possession, and that number stands to improve even more with a tenacious defense feeding the ball back to the offense on the regular in addition to sustaining drives on offense more often.

Plus, the Niners face some undeniably fierce offensive units in 2012, likely leading to the occasional shootout for a team that would typically prefer to avoid them. Though, if you ask the New Orleans Saints, these Niners' are totally capable of outdueling teams of the air-it-out variety.

Anyway, enough of me blabbering. Here are my pre-preseason statistical projections for A.J. Jenkins in his inaugural season for the Red and Gold. While they may initially seem slightly unreasonable, I personally believe they're quite feasible.

Receptions: 56

Yards: 742

TD: 7

YPC: 13.3

Targets: 84

What kind of numbers are you expecting/hoping for from Jenkins in 2012?