Five 49ers to watch: 3. A.J. Jenkins

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(This is the third part in a series that spotlights five 49ers players to watch in the team's exhibition game Saturday, 5 p.m., at the Houston Texans.)

Part 1: Mike Person
Part 2: Trenton Robinson
Our opportunities to watch the 49ers' first-round draft pick in 2012 might be coming to an end.Wide receiver A.J. Jenkins will be on the 49ers' 53-man roster. But, at this point, it seems highly unlikely Jenkins will have a role among the 46 players who suit up for regular-season games.After all, it's difficult to imagine he can find a way to contribute on a team that also features Michael Crabtree, Randy Moss, Mario Manningham, Ted Ginn and Kyle Williams -- each of whom is clearly ahead of Jenkins on the depth chart.That means Jenkins will have three more games in the exhibition season before he transitions to a behind-the-scenes role on the 49ers' scout team.Coach Jim Harbaugh predicted during the first week of training camp that Jenkins will be an "outstanding football player." And while Jenkins has made some outstanding catches, he also has shown a lack of consistency.It's nothing that should come as a concern at this early stage in his career. He made two nice catches in the exhibition opener last week against the Minnesota Vikings, but he also failed to hold onto two catchable passes.Jenkins is likely to get a lot of playing Saturday against the Houston Texans to see if he can iron out some of his difficulties and build confidence.

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