I was in attendance at both the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine, and let me assure you, the Janoris Jenkins of 2010 still exists. There is no rust from his short sabbatical playing in the kiddie pool. Janoris wanted to earn his degree and separate himself from some of the influences that led to his eventual dismissal from the Florida Gators football team with the arrival of Head Coach Will Muschamp. His off-the-field issues are well [or honestly, not so well] documented as I’ve found. But that is not the point here. "The NFL Beat" is about speed, precision, accuracy, and quickness. It is about recognition, reaction, and subsequent sickness.
“Jenkins.” I asked every wide receiver prospect I interviewed at both the Senior Bowl and the combine who the toughest DB they faced in college was. More than 50% had this response. This is the same Janoris Jenkins who plays with the most fluid hips of any NFL prospect in the 2012 draft. The same Janoris Jenkins who has successfully gone toe-to-toe in matchups with current NFL receiving studs such as Julio Jones and A.J. Green, among many others and given them absolute fits.
“A.J. [Green, Bengals WR], with A.J. you gotta watch him deep, he’s a big, tall guy you gotta play him for deep balls,” Jenkins said. “Every week you see him going up top. You gotta play him for that. If you noticed, he liked certain routes, the fade, the post, and the dig. Week in and week out, that is what you got.” Jenkins went on, “So with him, the first thing I think it is, ‘OK, I can eliminate curls, screens, and drags. I’m as quick as him. They can’t get me there.’ I gotta make sure I am always in position to cover him deep.”
Regarding Falcons WR Julio Jones, Jenkins said, “You know right off, he goes to try and out muscle you. He’s big and you know that he likes the post and the dig. He can run every route in the tree, but he loves those.” Jenkins added, “But other than that, it's pretty much like preparing for a guy like A.J. except he isn’t gonna run a curl or a 15-20-yard comeback. He can’t come out of his cuts quick enough.”
Jenkins plays with a fire and a controlled sense of violence that I find exhilarating. Of the WR prospects I interviewed at the combine, many noted his on-field demeanor was as intimidating as it looked. LSU WR Rueben Randle told me he was a “talker, he’ll trash talk ya a little, rib ya a little. He’ll try and get in your head.” I have enjoyed speaking with Janoris at the combine and Senior Bowl, but was able to speak with him in much greater depth today. It was great to just spend an hour talking some football with the guy.
The first thing I noticed was this man is a thinker. He is a thinking corner. Whether that is something you expected given the recent irresponsible mud-slinging about his character, that is a different story. To tell you the truth, I was even a little surprised. His level of premeditation and thought is so rare nowadays with the read/react nature of the position. As an NFL CB, your responsibilities are instinctive and urgent. His gait, cuts, and movements in small areas are reminiscent of someone frantically fighting their way out of a burning Porta-Potty, yet in a brilliantly smooth and naturally technical manner.
It is a rare combination of traits that make for a prospect who will not, as rumored, freefall down NFL teams draft boards as some media outlets [or, I should say, mouthpieces for big agencies who don’t like losing clients right before the draft] are saying. The NFL teams that are interested in this sick young man’s abilities are not concerned, my loyal reader. Trust me on this one. He’s a mid-to-high first-round talent and if he slides past the first half of the second round, I will be shocked. I am of the opinion that he is every bit as talented and NFL-ready as somewhat more highly touted CB prospects Morris Claiborne and Dre Kirkpatrick. He reminds me of Asante Samuel with a dash of his good friend, Cleveland's Joe Haden, a close friend he refers to as his "big bro."
“I want to man up. Naturally that’s what I do, but I’m just as comfortable in the zone, even the slot,” Jenkins said. “I’ll play anywhere, gunner on special teams, kick returns, play against the slot if they need me coming in for nickel. I’ve learned you have to learn to play within a system. You forget that and you’re hurting your team. So yeah, in the slot, you’re going against faster guys, all it is is recognition of high help and low help once you know what angle they’re trying to come at.
“Like Rueben Randle,” Jenkins continued (apparently their respect for one another as prospects is mutual). “See, here you have quickness. It’s a kind of guy who you get in the slot and gotta pick him up on the slant, also some drags and some outs. Posts and gos you can basically eliminate if you recognize your help. In that spot, your job is to always watch that five-yard hitch route, and keep good position for the slants and the outs because that’s where he’s gonna try and get you.”
