Second-year receiver Jauan Jennings has stepped into a critical role for the 49ers offense. The 6-foot-3 wideout, selected in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft, is starting to make a name for himself, and his energy is rubbing off on teammates such as tight end George Kittle and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
According to the 49ers.com article, "Jauan Jennings is 'Getting His Chance' and Taking Advantage of It" by Briana McDonald, Garoppolo said Jennings didn't have opportunities earlier in the season, but he is now getting his chance.
"When the ball is thrown his way, dude makes plays," The eighth-year quarterback said.
In a post-game press conference after the 31-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said the former Tennessee Volunteer receiver has gotten better.
"We had some hopes for him last year, just watching him on practice squad each day," Shanahan said. "He had a bad injury last year where no one got to see him. Kind of started out behind this year, but we're gaining a lot of confidence in Jauan. I know he had a rough game today, though, with some of his drops."
Despite having three receptions for 28 yards against the Falcons, the 49ers head coach raved about the plays Jennings made.
"He also had some good plays, too," Shanahan continued. "I think he had a key third-down on third-and-four. He also had that touchdown; I believe that was on third-and-goal. But Jauan, we'll keep coming to him. He had a few drops that I know he could make, but Jauan's a good player."
Jennings finished his five-year college career with 2,153 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns. The seventh-round draft pick did not play his rookie season.
Jennings has 13 game appearances and has recorded 14 receptions for 144 receiving yards and three touchdowns this season, his second in the NFL.
Though his numbers are not jaw-dropping, the former Volunteer could be the playmaker his former college and pro teammate, Jalen Hurd, was supposed to be.
Hurd, who played with Jennings at Tennessee for two seasons, was a 6-foot-4 running back before transferring to Baylor and converting to wide receiver for the 2018 season. San Francisco drafted Hurd in the third round of the 2019 draft, but he never played a down in the regular season due to injuries.
Shanahan told reporters the team had to move on from Hurd after releasing him on November 11.
"We were giving it as much time as we could," Shanahan said of Hurd. "We all felt very strongly that if he could come back, how much he could have helped us. But for the third year in a row, just with his injuries, how it was healing, we knew it wasn't going to be this year."
With his size and versatility, the 49ers could have used Hurd all over the field, including lining him up at tight end and in the backfield, the same way they are using wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
The 49ers will travel to Nashville, Tennessee, one hour and 30 minutes away from Jennings' hometown of Cowan, to play the Titans on Thursday, December 23.