NFL Draft 2020: Jauan Jennings faces long odds to make 49ers' roster

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The 49ers selected a wide receiver in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft who faces a tall order to win a roster spot for the regular season.

At the very least, Tennessee's Jauan Jennings has length on his side as a bit of a roster long shot.

Jennings (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) is big and tough. He is a possession receiver, with the ability to work out of the slot and make catches over the middle and in traffic. Jennings ran the 40-yard dash in 4.72 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine, so he faces a challenge to be able to create separation against NFL defensive backs.

Jennings and Jalen Hurd, a third-round draft pick last year, are the biggest receivers on the team among veterans or draft picks. Hurd missed all of last season with a stress fracture in his back. The 49ers have been optimistic that Hurd will be available to practice when NFL teams are allowed to get back on the field.

Jennings is the second receiver the 49ers added during the draft. The 49ers traded up six spots in the first round of the draft to take Arizona State receiver Brandon Aiyuk at No. 25 overall.

The 49ers also officially parted ways with a receiver, sending Marquise Goodwin to the Philadelphia Eagles -- along with the No. 210 pick of the sixth round -- for the No. 190 pick. The 49ers used that sixth-round selection to add blocking tight end Charlie Woerner of Georgia.

Jennings was recruited to Tennessee as a quarterback but was converted to wide receiver as a freshman. He sustained a dislocated wrist in the 2017 season-opener and took a medical redshirt season.

As a senior, Jennings was the Tennessee team MVP and team captain. He caught a career-best 59 passes for 969 and eight touchdowns.

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Jennings ran into some problems during his college career. He was temporarily dismissed from the team in 2017 when he tore into the Tennessee coaching staff in a post on Instagram. He described the coaches as "lying," ''fake" and "snake.”

This year, the SEC suspended him for the first half of the Gator Bowl for stepping on the face of a Vanderbilt player. He denied the allegation that the incident was intentional.

Jennings joins a crowded group of 49ers receivers that includes Deebo Samuel, Kendrick Bourne, Richie James, Dante Pettis, Trent Taylor, Travis Benjamin, Aiyuk and Hurd.

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