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Jalen Hurd will be reuniting with his former University of Tennessee teammate, Jauan Jennings, in Santa Clara. Both were members of the Vols in 2015 and 2016, before Hurd transferred to Baylor University to focus on becoming a wide receiver. The 49ers took Jennings with the 217th overall pick in the 2020 Draft, their final selection.
He’ll have stiff competition to make the team, with Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and Kendrick Bourne virtual locks to make the team. That leaves three spots up for grabs between Jennings, Jalen Hurd, Trent Taylor, Dante Pettis, Travis Benjamin, Richie James Jr. and the outside candidates like Chris Thompson and Shawn Poindexter.
There is a chance that Hurd’s stress fracture sidelines him and his career, or that he gets healthy and transitions to tight end, leaving an extra roster spot. Jennings is a tall, long wide receiving prospect viewed as a large slot receiver. He didn’t test very well athletically, but he shows up as dynamic after the catch and with a massive catch radius that could be useful in red zone situations. He has some positional versatility as well, having played wildcat quarterback in college.
He did have some off-field issues, being arrested for marijuana possession in February of 2017 and getting dismissed from the Tennessee football program after a rant against the coaching staff. He was reinstated in March of 2018. He was also suspended for the first half of a bowl game against Indiana after stepping on the face of Vanderbilt player Justice Shelton-Mosley after Shelton-Mosley’s helmet came off.
Jennings will also reunite with former Tennessee corner Emmanuel Moseley.
“I can’t wait to see my bro E-Man, it’s been forever,” Jennings said on a conference all after being drafted.