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My Draft Dudes: Jauan Jennings “Juice Man”

Name: Jauan Jennings AKA Juice Man
Position: WR
School: Tennessee
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 215 Lbs

Overview

Juan Jennings played in 48 games over a span of 5 years at the University of Tennessee. After suffering a season ending wrist injury in 2017, he was dismissed from the team in November for criticizing the coaching staff.

After a change in coaching staff, he worked his way back onto the team under new head coach Jeremy Pruitt. Jauan emerged as a star playmaker for the Volunteers in 2019 when he totalled 969 yards which was the 5th best in the SEC and a whopping 16.4 yards per reception which was 6th best in the SEC.

Release Vs. Press

He’s a fighter, strong enough to push through press coverage and even when CBs are in his pocket he finds a way to bring down the football. Jennings does a good job of getting his hands up and into the defender, not allowing them to get into his chest or prevent him from getting into his route. He will need to work on a plan B for when he lines up across from defenders who can match his physicality.

Route Running

Jennings is a fluid player but he’s not stop on a dime quick. He beats defenders with his physical attributes more so than his route running. He tracks the ball well in flight and is aggressive at the catch point, this more than makes up for his lack of route expertise. Jennings does a good job of giving his QB a window to place the football, he knows where to sit in between defenders on his route.

Run After Catch

As per Pro Football Focus, In 2019 Jennings forced more missed tackles than any other WR in this draft class with 30. The next closest WR was Ceedee Lamb with 26. What’s even more impressive is that he did that on only 59 receptions as opposed to Lamb’s 62.

Jennings combines extraordinary contact balance with physicality and will. He simply does not allow himself to go down by 1st contact. He’s not the quickest runner so he’ll more likely run through defenders or run around defenders than make them miss completely.

Randy Sartin – USA TODAY Sports

Hands/Body Adjustment

Jennings excels at climbing the ladder and coming down with contested balls. He’s going to be a red zone target wherever he ends up. He does a great job of tracking the ball in flight & following the ball with his eyes into his hands. Balls that aren’t placed perfectly aren’t an issue for him as long as they are in his catch radius. He has big strong hands and his focus/body control makes up for that.

Blocking

Jennings plays bully ball when he’s blocking. He sets his legs in the ground, sets his hands in the defenders shoulder pads and out muscles them. As far as WRs in this class that I have watched, he’s the best. He has the will to do the dirty work on a consistent basis and he’s technically good at it.

Play Making Ability

Jennings has many playmaking attributes that teams will covet. He’s a red zone threat, he’s dangerous after the catch and he even contributes to the running game as a blocker. Jennings showcased some of that ability in front of NFL GMs, coaches and scouts at the 2020 senior bowl. He consistently won his 1 on 1s during the week and he brought down a touchdown from 18 yards out in the 4th quarter of the game.

Final Thoughts

Jennings is a competitor and teams will covet that. He attacks the football, he’s physical after the catch and he’s a great blocker. He may be flagged by a few organizations due to him being critical of the Tennessee coaching staff back in 2017 leading to his dismissal from the program.

Jennings had suffered an injury, the staff held him out and he wanted to continue playing. Some coaches(John Gruden) may actually covet that desire to get back out there when you’re not 100%.

Projected Draft Round: 4th/5th

Question Mark: The Combine will be big for Jennings. As I said previously, he is not very quick so he may have low numbers in the drills that showcase agility. That won’t matter all too much if he can hit a decent 40 time. Anywhere in the mid to low 4.5s would be great, anything above 4.6 could hurt his stock.

I’m also interested to hear how he interviews. Teams are going to try and push his buttons to get him to react in a negative way. Let’s see if he has been coached up by his agent or if he has just matured as a human being.

Comp: Dez Bryant, Hakeem Nicks, Preston Williams, Dwayne Bowe

Team Fit: Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo, Jets, Ravens

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