Kris Jenkins Jr., IDL, Michigan (Senior)
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Rayane M
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Strengths :
- Impressive Leverage sympathiques
- NFL-level hand technique flashes
- Good ability to defend the run
- Strong against Doubles Team
- Potential to be developed at various positions within the IDL depending on the system used
Weaknesses :
- Lacks explosiveness in his Takeoff
- Often static during play
- Sometimes plays off-balance
- Very limited Pass Rush move set
- Extremely Raw
- Pursuit
- Bend average
- Slow in transitioning techniques
IDL Kris Jenkins
— Rayane M (@RayaneScout) January 9, 2024
A player with crazy athletic abilities and dominant vs run but lacks finesse in his Pass Rush, he's still a very raw player
If he falls into the right scheme and with a coach capable of developing him, he could explode in the medium term
4th Rnd Talent🏗 pic.twitter.com/vS12Ai5ntG
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If we add to that his reaction time to execute a technique after reading the play, which I personally find to be too slow, and the fact that he sometimes seems to lack power in the upper body, we might quickly conclude that Kris could have a real struggle to perform at the professional level.
Still on his ability to put pressure on the QB, his ability to Bend further than the average is leaving me doubtful for regular use on the edge. It's one of the toughest points to work on, if not impossible. You can improve his ability to bend but we never see an exceptional change because it demands qualities of agility, flexibility in different parts of the body, the ability to stay low while supporting significant weight on the joints, playing with gravity, or even the ability to re-explode at the end of a movement, which are almost innate factors.
In conclusion, Kris Jenkins Jr., the son of Kris Jenkins Sr., is a player who will need time to develop, regardless of his future position on the field, his future team, or the position at which he will be selected in the draft.
While he can occasionally display interesting athletic flashes, he is still far from the expected level for a player at his position in the NFL. Kris will be just 23 years old in his rookie season, and he has a lot of work to do on his ability to rush the QB to be a sufficient threat, all at a time when offenses have never been more focused on passing.
So, what to do, because currently, while he has the perfect size to be a DE in a 3-4 front, he lacks the technical abilities. While he has the athletic abilities of a 4-3 DT, he doesn't quite have the size or production. And finally, while he has the technical abilities and production of a 1-technique DT (or NT), he doesn't have the physique or power.
The future of his career will inevitably depend on how his future coaching staff utilizes him, but in any case, Kris Jenkins Jr. remains a player who is still very raw and will need at least 1 or 2 years of development before he can truly become dominant. As I write these lines, I personally have lowered my expectations for Kris, and although I wish him success, I find it hard to see him as more valuable than a 4th-round pick at the moment.
The same goes for his ability to shed the arms of Offensive Linemen using good hand technique. While he possesses hands that can be both quick and explosive, it's again too sporadic to be considered a weapon, so once more, we're talking about mere flashes of talent. It's a good point but needs work to polish it at its best.
It's not without reason that I mentioned the role his father may have had in his development because if Kris Jenkins Sr. was never renowned for his incredible play as Pass rusher, he was feared by many Running Backs in the NFL for his ability to defend the run, and on this point, Kris Jr. clearly stands out.