As doubts continue to surround the return of San Francisco 49ers no.1 wide receiver Deebo Samuel, pundits have turned to how the rookies can step in and help in the Niners campaign for the Super Bowl 55.
After all, Samuel himself was a rookie last year but had quite an impressive year that allowed him to step into the top spot when the Niners let veteran receiver Emmanuel Sanders walk into free agency and got snapped by New Orleans Saints.
Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings were drafted by the Niners last April.
Of the two, Jennings may have to work harder to prove that he deserves a spot in the Niners' roster when the NFL begins this September.
Perhaps all because of his 4.72 40-yard time during the scouting combine, which is considered sluggish. It was even the reason why he wasn't drafted early and had to wait for round 7 to get picked as no.217 overall.
However, Jennings has other attributes that could make him stand out during the training camp, which has already started for the rookies and even in the preseason.
The San Francisco 49ers will open the preseason on August 15 against the Denver Broncos in Colorado.
If you can look beyond Jennings' lack of speed, you would know that he can create yards after the catch based on how he broke 30 would-be tackles on 59 catches for the Tennessee Volunteers last year.
Even Jennings former coach with the Vols, Jeremy Pruitt, had vouched for the 23-year-old saying that any coach would want the ball in Jennings hands. And, that it wouldn't matter how he ran in the 40 or what he jumps on a vertical because Jennings will play whenever he gets drafted.
Pruitt had added that his former receiver really loves the game. And any coach would love having Jennings around because he not only likes to play, but he also likes to practice.
Jennings also had an impressive college football career at the University of Tennessee where he was ranked fifth in all-time receptions at 146, fourth in receiving yards at 2,153 and tied-for-fifth in touchdown receptions 18.
So, the San Francisco 49ers are actually well stacked with young receivers, and all they need is experience to pull them through.
Image credit courtesy of Gamecock Central/Flickr