Senior Jonathan Jenkins came to Georgia after recording 41 tackles and two sacks in his final season in junior college. The massive defensive tackle—6’4’’, 359 pounds—had 50 tackles in 2012.
Scouting Report
When you have a guy who is 359 pounds, weight is going to be a concern. Even though the name of his game is size and power, you’d think Jenkins could still play the way he wants at, say, 330 pounds. That would give him a little more speed and stamina throughout games, which are things he needs. Jenkins has a nice bull rush at times, but it rarely comes out when he’s fatigued.
For someone so big, though, I don’t see Jenkins playing with as much power as what I’ve heard. He’s obviously not going to run around interior linemen on a consistent basis, but he still gets blown back at the point-of-attack when he’s tired. I watched every play from the Florida game and the SEC Championship, and I just didn’t see the hype.
You might hear that Jenkins uses his hands well and can move laterally, but those assessments are usually given in relation to his size. Yes, for his size, Jenkins is perhaps a good athlete, but who really cares if he doesn’t need to be that big?
Jenkins is a one-dimensional player that will have to come out of games in passing situations. Using a first-round pick on a one-dimensional player is okay in certain situations, assuming that dimension is rushing the passer. Stopping the run is important, but not so much that you need to throw away a first on a player who will come out of games when the defense needs it most.
NFL Comparison: Dan Williams
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Like Cardinals nose tackle Dan Williams, Jenkins is a mammoth interior defensive lineman who can stop the run but won’t contribute much as a pass-rusher. Also like Williams, Jenkins will probably be over-drafted.
Projection
Jenkins is being projected anywhere from the middle of the first round to the start of the second, although I believe he’d be really poor value anywhere in the first two rounds. To me, he’s a third or even fourth-round talent.
Fit In Dallas
Luckily for Cowboys fans, Jenkins isn’t a fit with the ‘Boys. Dallas needs play-making one-gap defensive tackles, and that’s the exact opposite of Jenkins. I feel confident the Cowboys won’t give Jenkins much consideration.
Other Scouting Reports
Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri
Johnathan Hankins, DT, Ohio State
Jonathan Bales is the founder of The DC Times. He writes for DallasCowboys.com and the New York Times. He's also the author of Fantasy Football for Smart People: How to Dominate Your Draft.
